Changing the awareness of low vitamin D status in a rheumatology population: a pre/post-study.
Swiss Med Wkly. 2013 Dec 6;143:w13891. doi: 10.4414/smw.2013.13891.
Stoll D, Lamy O, Hans D, Zufferey P, So A, Krieg MA, Aubry-Rozier B.
Center for Bone Diseases, Lausanne University Hospital, SWITZERLAND; delphine.stoll at chuv.ch.
INTRODUCTION: In 2009 hypovitaminosis D was highly prevalent in a population of Swiss rheumatology patients (86%). We aimed to evaluate the evolution of vitamin D status in the same population two years later, after the results of the first study were disseminated to local physicians and patients, in order to determine the evolution of the problem and the impact of physician information.
METHOD: Patients in our rheumatology clinic were screened for 25-OH vitamin D. Results were categorised as: deficient (<10 ng/ml or <25 nmol/l), insufficient (10 to 30 ng/ml or 25 to 75 nmol/l) or normal (>30 ng/ml or >75 nmol/l). We also used another cut-off of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l). We evaluated the evolution of 25-OH vitamin D dosages and vitamin D3 prescriptions between 2008 and 2011 in our institution and the number of publications on vitamin D in three important medical journals of the French speaking part of Switzerland.
RESULTS: Compared with 2009, significantly more patients had normal results in 2011.
- 52% of patients had levels >20 ng/ml in 2009 and
- 66% in 2011,
difference statistically significant (p = 0.001). During the years separating the two study periods the number of 25-OH vitamin D dosages and the prescription of high doses of vitamin D3 increased in our hospital. In addition the number of publications on vitamin D increased between 2008 and 2011.
CONCLUSION: We concluded that lower prevalence in hypovitaminosis D is certainly related to
- better adherence to daily supplements, and to
- better information and awareness of the physicians about hypovitaminosis D.
PMID: 24317878
Increase in daily dose of vitamin D AND 4X increase in number of 300,000 IU loading doses - in just 2 years
Note: loading dose of 300,000 does not require a prescription in most countries on the globe
Big increase in % of people with > 30 ng of vitamin D (cross hatched bar) - in just 2 years
See also Vitamin D Life
- Overview Rheumatoid Arthritis and vitamin D
- 100 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients with very low vitamin D had very severe RA – Jan 2013
- 300,000 IU every 3 months helped raise vitamin D levels in half of RA patients – April 2012
- Overview Loading of vitamin D
- 300,000 IU vitamin D helped seniors in many ways – May 2011 Stoll was one of the authors