Vitamin D status among patients with hip fracture and elderly control subjects in Yekaterinburg, Russia

Purpose: Vitamin D deficiency leads to secondary hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia, and both conditions are associated with fractures, the most severe being hip fracture. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level depends on latitude and season. Yekaterinburg is situated at a high latitude and the duration of winter is about 5 months. Methods: In this study, the serum 25(OH)D and PTH concentrations, and the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in elderly people, inhabitants of Yekaterinburg, were investigated. The study was performed on 63 people with hip fracture (mean age, 68.8 years) and 97 independently living elderly people (mean age, 70.2 years). Results: Serum 25(OH)D (mean +/- SD) in the hip fracture group was 22.4 +/- 11.4 nmol/L, significantly lower than in control group, which was 28.1 +/- 10.1 nmol/L. The percentage of patients with severe hypovitaminosis D (< 25 nmol/L) in the hip fracture group was 65%, compared to 47% in the control group (p < 0.05). The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among hip fracture patients, as well as among independently living elderly people in Yekaterinburg, was high. Conclusions: Supplementation of vitamin D in elderly people with and without fracture might prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism, osteomalacia and fractures.