Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be widely found within the population. Vitamin D deficiency was also found to be prevalent in patients with autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Vitamin D deficiency was reported in almost all patients with acute myocardial infarction in a US multicenter study. Low concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are reported to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events, in particular for strokes and sudden cardiac deaths.

Aim: The aim was to study and report vitamin D levels in acutely ill patients being cared for in an acute care unit.

Methods: In 20 patients being cared for in an acute care unit and in 20 controls matched for age and sex 25(OH)D₃ levels were measured. In the patient population CRP and procalcitonin were also measured. 25(OH)D₃ was measured by RIA, normal values being 47.7–114 nmol/l.

Results: In the patients being cared for in the acute care unit 25(OH)D₃ levels were 30.33±3.63 nmol/l (mean±S.E.M.), whereas in the controls 60.37±4.41 nmol/l (P<0.001, Student’s t-test). In the patients being cared for in the acute care unit vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency was found 18 of the 20 patients.

Conclusions: Low vitamin D levels were found in patients hospitalised in an acute care unit. These findings are in agreement with findings of other investigators having reported low levels of vitamin D in patients with acute myocardial infarction. It has been proposed that low vitamin D levels may be a risk factor for cardiovascular events and in patients with acute myocardial infarction may predict adverse outcomes. It has also been proposed that vitamin D levels may decrease during the acute phase response, however, more studies are needed to confirm or refute this hypothesis.