Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its correlation with PTH, chemical bone turnover markers and bone mineral density, among patients from ambulatories

Consequences of VD deficiency include rickets and osteomalacia. However, marginal concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)VD) are associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis. In this context, levels of 25(OH)VD capable to elevate parathyroid hormone (PTH) could be considered as insufficient. The VD insufficiency, although widely prevalent, is still under-recognized and under-treated. The authors have studied 180 patients followed in a endocrinology clinic in Belo Horizonte, who had 25(OH)VD measured, correlating it with PTH, biochemical bone turnover markers and bone mineral density. To determine the sufficiency of VD, 25(OH)VD was correlated with PTH and the cutoff found was of 32ng/ml. CTX-1 and PTH were significantly negative correlated to 25(OH)VD and the prevalence of VD insufficiency was 42%. One concludes that the VD insufficiency is widely prevalent among patients who frequently come to our offices, alerting us for the importance to assess VD status more often and to practice politics for prevention of VD insufficiency.