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Published on: January 29, 2018
Age and Spinal Disease Correlate to Albumin and Vitamin D Status
Anderson Gomes Marin1, Raphael de Rezende Pratali2, Samuel Machado Marin2
1Department of Orthopedics and Anesthesiology, University of Sao Paulo, School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Objectives:
Thus, this study aimed to assess the epidemiological profile of a patient sample that underwent spinal surgery regarding their nutritional and vitamin D status.
Methods:
Serum albumin and vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) levels were measured in patients with different spinal surgical approaches and various pathologies at a single institution. 112 patients were retrospectively identified for inclusion and stratified by age into 4 age groups and by pathology. The nutritional status of the patients was classified in vitamin D inadequacy (< 30ng/mL), vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/mL), and hypoalbuminemia (<3.5g/dL). Data was analyzed comparing vitamin D, and albumin means considering gender, age group, and pathologies.
Results:
Twenty-eight (25.2%) patients had hypoalbuminemia. There was no difference between gender (p = 0.988); there was a significant decrease in albumin concentration increasing the age (p < 0.001). The prevalence of hypoalbuminemia was significantly higher in patients with trauma, tumor and infection than in those patients with degenerative and deformity diseases (p = 0.003). The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy was 33.7%, and that of deficiency was 62.2%, while severe deficiency (< 10 ng/mL) in 16.3%. The vitamin D concentration was significantly different among the pathologies (P = 0.047), the lower concentration occurring in patients with tumor.
Conclusion:
Older patients, as well as patients with tumor and infectious pathologies, seem to have a higher prevalence of hypoalbuminemia, inferring malnutrition. There was a low epidemic level of vitamin D concentration, almost all patients presenting some degree of hypovitaminosis D, independent of age, gender and nutritional status.
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