Retrospective Analysis of Vitamin D Levels with Respect to Age and Gender: Hopa State Hospital Example
Eda Dokumacioglu *
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Artvin Coruh University, Artvin, 08000, Turkey.
Ali Dokummacioglu
Department of Biochemistry, Hopa State Hospital, Artvin, 08600, Turkey.
Hatice Iskender
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Artvin Coruh University, Artvin, 08000, Turkey.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the status of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in adults, which is very common today.
Material and Methods: The patient data was retrospectively reviewed through the hospital information system for those patients who applied to Hopa State Hospital (Artvin, Turkey) from January to December 2014 having vitamin D test results in their files. Our study groups by age were specified as 18-29 years, 30-44 years, 45-59 years and ≥60 years. Serum D vitamine levels were measured using immunoassay method on the autoanalyzer.
Results: As for the gender, 1871 (78,68%) of the patients were women and 507 (21,32%) were men. When grouped with respect to gender, vitamin D values of women were determined as <20 ng/ml (deficiency) in 79.4%, as 20-30 ng/ml (insufficiency) in 12.8% and >30 ng/ml (sufficiency) in 7.8% while men displayed <20 ng/ml (deficiency) in 70.4%, 20-30 ng/ml (insufficiency) in 7.8% and > 30 ng/ml (sufficiency) in 7.5%.
Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency prevails in our city. As a result; we determined a vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency at a high rate in our study group. We think that nutritives enriched with vitamin D or vitamin D supplements would be appropriate particularly in the places like our city, where people cannot benefit from sunlight adequately.
Keywords: Age, gender, Hopa, Turkey, vitamin D deficiency