Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with the occurrence of concomitant upper limb fractures in older women who sustain a fall-related fracture of the hip.

Maturitas. 2010 Sep 29.
Di Monaco M, Vallero F, Castiglioni C, Di Monaco R, Tappero R.
Osteoporosis Research Center, Presidio Sanitario San Camillo, Strada Santa Margherita 136, 10131 Torino, Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the occurrence of simultaneous fractures of the upper limb in older women who sustain a fall-related fracture of the hip.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We investigated 472 of 480 white women consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation hospital because of a fall-related hip fracture. Twenty-seven (5.7%) of the 472 women sustained a concomitant upper-limb fracture of either distal radius (20 women) or proximal humerus (seven women). We assessed serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 14.2±4.1 (mean±SD) days after surgical repair of the hip fracture in the 472 women by an immunoenzymatic assay.

RESULTS: Twenty-five-hydroxyvitamin D levels were significantly lower in the 27 women with concomitant fractures of both hip and upper limb than in the remaining 445 hip-fracture women: mean±SD values were 6.5±5.0ng/ml and 11.7±10.4ng/ml respectively in the two groups (mean difference between groups 5.2ng/ml: 95% CI 1.2-9.2; p=0.011). Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitaimn D were significantly associated with concomitant fractures of the upper limb (p=0.017), after adjustment for eight potential confounders including age, height, weight, hip-fracture type, cognitive impairment, neurologic impairment, previous hip fracture, and previous upper-limb fracture.

CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly associated with concomitant upper-limb fractures in our sample of older women with a fall-related fracture of the hip. Preventing vitamin D deficiency may lower the incidence of simultaneous fractures due to a singe fall in elderly women. PMID: 20888157
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Summary at Vitamin D Life:

14 days after hip fracture, it was noticed that those with 6 ng/ml of vitamin D were more likely to have also fractured and upper body limb than those with 12 ng/ml.
It is unfortunate that the women had not raised their vitamin D levels months before, and greatly reduced falls and fractures.