Background: the exact etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (aiS) is unknown, but recently, vitamin d has been suggested to be of importance in the pathophysiology of aiS. this article sought to (1) highlight the prevalence of vitamin d deficiency in patients undergoing corrective surgery for aiS within the united kingdom and (2) evaluate the correlation and clinical relevance of preoperative back pain with vitamin d deficiency.Methods: data were collected on 201 consecutive patients undergoing corrective surgery for aiS. Baseline data included patient demographics, medical diagnoses, and standing preoperative Cobb angles. all patients had a preoperative 25-hydroxyvitamin d level recorded. one hundred ninety-six patients completed preoperative Scoliosis Research Society-22 outcome scores to quantify preoperative back pain.Results: a total of 177 (89%) patients were young women, and the mean age at time of surgery was 14.9 years (13-18 years). all patients were diagnosed with aiS. the mean Cobb angles at time of surgery was 64°. only 11 (5.5%) patients had "normal" vitamin d levels (>75 nmol/l), with 147 (74%) patients having deficient levels requiring treatment with supplementation. there was no correlation between vitamin d levels and preoperative Cobb angles (r s = −0.12), and there was a moderate correlation identified between the severity of preoperative vitamin d levels and preoperative back pain scores (r s =0.42).Conclusion: Vitamin d deficiency is common in patients with aiS; however, it is comparable to the national prevalence of vitamin d deficiency in healthy adolescent children. there was a strong correlation between preoperative back pain scores and the severity of vitamin d deficiency. these findings suggest that all patients with aiS should be screened for vitamin d deficiency and that supplementation where appropriate may lead to improved pain scores.Clinical Relevance: if vitamin d is prevelant and if vitamin d deficiency is found to cause back pain, then there is an easy/cheap/safe treatement with supplementation.
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