[Prevalence and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in general practices]

In 776 primary care patients serum vitamin D level was measured in month of september showing deficiency (<50 nmol/l) in 45,1%, severe deficiency (<30 nmol/l) in 9,8% and serum levels below the recommended target level of 75 nmol/l in 88,9% of cases. Three possible symptoms of vitamin D deficiency were assessed by a visual analogue scale (0-10): fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle and joint pain. A significant correlation between muscle weakness and degree of vitamin D deficiency was shown (p=0,04), whereas there was no correlation in the two other symptoms. However, patients with vitamin D deficiency more frequently reported fatigue (p=0,02) and muscle weakness (p=0,009) than patients without deficiency did, and no difference was seen concerning muscle and joint pain.