Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Adult Population of Isfahan City, Iran

Abstract

Determination of vitamin D status in different age-groups in a community and in different climates of a country is necessary and has important implications for general health. The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the adult population of Isfahan, a centrally-located city in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 1,111 healthy people—243 men and 868 women—aged 41.4 (mean 14 and range 20-80) years, who attended a single-consultation outpatient clinic, were selected. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD), parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and phosphorus concentrations were measured. Mild, moderate and severe vitamin D deficiencies were defined as 25-OHD values of 20-30 ng/mL, 10-20 ng/mL, and <10 ng/mL respectively. The median (range) concentrations of 25-OHD were 21 (4.0-105.0) ng/mL in males and 18 (1.5-117) ng/mL in females (p=0.05). The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe vitamin D deficiencies among the adult population was 19.6%, 23.9%, and 26.9% respectively. Vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent among women (p=0.001) and younger age-group (p=0.001). Medians of 25-OHD in spring-summer and autumn-winter were 21 ng/mL and 18 ng/mL respectively (p=0.005). The prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency was higher in autumn-winter than in spring-summer (odds ratio=1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.2, p=0.001). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was high in a sunny city—Isfahan— especially among women and younger population. The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this city emphasizes the necessity of vitamin D supplementation as more exposure to sun is limited due to the type of clothing required by current law.

High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Women Presenting to Rheumatology Clinic in North of Iran: An Inverse Relation with Age

“…Studies from other geographic regions of Iran have also shown high proportion of vitamin D deficiency in women and lower serum 25-OHD in young and middle aged females compared with older women [3,10,30]. Similar observations have been reported from other countries [31,32].…”

“…Several factors including low intake of vitamin D, inadequate sunlight exposure, clothing were shown to be associated factors of low vitamin D in women [3,10,30,34].…”

Predicted efficacy of the Palestinian wheat flour fortification programme: complementary analysis of biochemical and dietary data

“…A significantly higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in women in Gaza City than in Hebron supports this hypothesis since exposure to sunlight is less common in the former. A high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in women has been described in other Middle Eastern countries (21)(22)(23)(24) . The results of the study suggest that the content of vitamin D in the wheat flour may need to be increased.…”

Serum Vitamin D Level is Inversely Associated With Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody Level and Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

“…19 In another study in Isfahan, this rate was reported to be about 50.8%. 20 Another study in the United States investigated 62 RA patients in terms of vitamin D and DAS28 levels and showed that about 61% of patients had low vitamin D levels (less than 30 ng/mL). An inverse relationship was also found between vitamin D level and high disease activity (DAS28 >2.6), while the relationship between the vitamin D level and controlled disease (DAS28 <2.6) was not significant.…”