Hypovitaminosis D in psychogeriatric inpatients

This study investigated the rate of hypovitaminosis D in psychogeriatric inpatients and explored whether any associations exist between vitamin D levels, cognitive function, and psychiatric diagnoses.

Retrospective medical record review from November 2000 through November 2010.

Geriatric psychiatric ward of an academic tertiary care hospital.

Psychiatric inpatients aged 65 years or older. MEASUREMENTS AND ANALYSIS METHODS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured at admission. Associations between 25(OH)D levels, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were analyzed using Spearman correlations, and psychiatric diagnoses were analyzed using logistic regression models and Fisher's exact tests.

In 141 subjects (mean age, 77.8 years; 86 [61%] female; 135 [96%] white), the most frequent diagnoses were major depressive disorder in 81 patients (57%), dementia in 38 (27%), delirium in 13 (9%), anxiety in 12 (8.5%), and bipolar disorder in 11 (8%). Mean MMSE score was 24±6.4 (range, 3-30). Forty-three subjects (30.4%) had mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D, 10-24 ng/mL], and 6 (4.2%) had severe deficiency [25(OH)D <10 ng/mL].

Hypovitaminosis D was common in elderly psychiatric inpatients. No associations were found between vitamin D levels and global cognitive function or psychiatric diagnoses.