[Anabolic effects of vitamin D in patients with osteomalacia]

The author examined a group of 143 patients with osteomalacia of different origin before treatment and after adequate treatment with vitamin D, using laboratory tests, assessment of body weight and muscular strength (grip of the dominant hand). After treatment there was a significant rise of calcaemia, phosphataemia and calciuria and a drop of alkaline phosphatase activity. The body weight increased within the first month of treatment on average by 1.27 kg, during the second month by another 1.15 kg. The patients gained a total of 2.42 kg. The muscular strength increased during the first month on average by 3.23 kg and during the second month by another 2.16 kg, i.e. a total of 5.39 kg. From these results it may be concluded that vitamin D may have a certain anabolic effect if used in pharmacological does either due to an increased nutrient absorption from the gut because of hypertrophy of the intestinal wall or indirectly via hypercalcaemia which increases the hydrochloric acid secretion in the stomach as well as pepsin secretion, and promotes activation of trypsin and lipase in the duodenum and moreover causes retardation of the intestinal transit. The increased muscular strength in due to a rise of calcaemia, improved muscle contraction and probably also due to the mentioned nutritional factors. There may be also the factor of an improved lifestyle due to the immunomodulating action of vitamin D and disappearance of bone pain.