Seasonal vitamin D variations in osteoporosis patients

Abstract

Objective: To study the seasonal variations of 25(OH) vit D in patients with osteoporosis.

Materials and methods. We observed 396 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis/osteopenia aged 24 to 93 years. The diagnosis of OP was based on the clinical recommendations of Osteoporosis-2021 approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. All patients underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using the Lunar DPX apparatus. Vitamin 25(OH)D3 levels were determined using the commercial 25-OH Vitamin D ELISA kit. For statistical data processing, the software packages "STATISTICA 10.0 for Windows" were used.

Results. We have found that during the year most patients have significant seasonal changes in the 25(OH) vit D level. The minimum value was recorded in January and December (respectively, 50.85 and 55.83 nmol/l). We found significant differences in the concentration of 25(OH) vit D between patients who were observed in June and patients who were examined in the remaining months (p<0.001); as well as between patients examined in August and patients observed in the spring months (p<0.05). Similar significance was observed between July and April (p=0.037). It was found that the highest percentage of patients with vitamin D deficiency was observed in April and reached 16.67%. In the period from June to September, the frequency of hypovitaminosis was significantly lower and amounted to 1.92–3.7%. It was found that with increasing age of patients there is a gradual decrease in the level of 25(OH) vit D blood (r = 0.099, p = 0.049).

Findings. Based on the data obtained, it is recommended to carry out the prevention of vitamin D deficiency for the population of the Volgograd region. Prevention should be carried out from September to May, in accordance with international recommendations. These recommendations are especially relevant for older people.