Remarkable improvement in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin levels among hip fracture patients over a 12-year period: a prospective study in South-eastern Finland

• Published in: Osteoporosis international Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 837 - 845
• Main Authors: Nurmi-Lüthje, I., Tiihonen, R., Paattiniemi, E.-L., Naboulsi, H., Pigg, S., Sarkkinen, H., Kaukonen, J.-P., Toivanen, A., Salmio, K., Kataja, M., Lüthje, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.04.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Mass Index; Bone Density Conservation Agents - therapeutic use; Dietary Supplements; Endocrinology; Female; Finland - epidemiology; Fractures; Hip; Hip Fractures - blood; Hip Fractures - epidemiology; Hip Fractures - prevention & control; Hip joint; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original; Original Article; Orthopedics; Osteoporotic Fractures - blood; Osteoporotic Fractures - epidemiology; Osteoporotic Fractures - prevention & control; Prospective Studies; Recurrence; Residence Characteristics; Rheumatology; Seasons; Supplements; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D - therapeutic use; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - drug therapy; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin deficiency; Finland; Hip fracture; S-25(OH)D; Cohort; Vitamin D; Prospective study
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-017-4344-1

Summary Hypovitaminosis D is a problem among hip fracture patients. In a 1-year cohort study comprising 245 hip fracture patients (mean age of females 81 years and males 78 years) from south-eastern Finland, the mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D [S-25(OH)D] concentration was 73(SD 31) nmol/L. Vitamin D supplementation has been integrated into our current practice. Introduction The objectives of this study are to verify vitamin D levels among hip fracture patients and to compare the results with a similar study conducted in the same two hospitals covering the same geographic area 12 years ago. Methods A prospective cohort comprising 245 Caucasian hip fracture patients was enrolled in the study in two acute hospitals in south-eastern Finland (61° N) over a 12-month period in 2015–2016. The S-25(OH)D was measured using 25-hydroxyvitamin D electrochemiluminescence binding assay. The S-25(OH)D concentrations were compared with the corresponding concentrations of a similar cohort analyzed in the same two hospitals 12 years ago. Results Of the 245 patients, 70% were women with a mean age of 81 (SD 10) years, while the men had a mean age of 78 (SD 12) years ( p  < 0.01). The total mean S-25(OH)D concentration was 73 (SD 31.3) nmol/L. Regional differences were found: 15% in hospital A and 36% in hospital B had a S-25(OH(D level < 50 nmol/L, and the mean S-25(OH)D level was 79.2 (SD 31.7) nmol/L in hospital A and 62.4 (SD 27.5) nmol/L in hospital B ( p  < 0.001). No differences were found in S-25(OH)D concentrations by either the place of residence or the time of year. Overall, the percentage of patients with a sufficient vitamin D level (> 50 nmol/L) was remarkably higher in 2015–2016 (77%) than in 2003–2004 (22%). Conclusion Our results indicate that vitamin D supplementation has been widely integrated into our current practice. However, regional differences were found in the S-25(OH)D concentrations for which the reasons are unknown.