Vitamin D status in patients admitted in a clinic of endocrinology

Vitamin D deficiency has been known as a global health problem and there were reported moderate to strong inverse associations between 25(OH) D concentrations and cardiovascular diseases, serum lipid concentrations, inflammation, glucose metabolism disorders, weight gain, infectious diseases, multiple sclerosis, mood disorders, declining cognitive function, impaired physical functioning, and all-cause mortality. In Romania there are only a few published reports on vitamin D status among adult population.

To evaluate vitamin D status in 440 patients those were admitted in our clinic for various endocrine pathology.

Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D was measured using chemiluminescence assay. We categorized the vitamin D levels in 3 subgroups (deficiency, insufficiency and sufficiency).

In our study there was a high prevalence of both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, while optimal level was observed only in a very small number of patients.

We demonstrated a high frequency of vitamin D deficiency in general population, especially in elderly and children. There are still many controversies regarding the optimal vitamin D status and the supplementation dosage, so long-term large scale studies are needed regarding efficacy and safety.