Vitamin D deficiency among the elderly: insights from Qatar

Abstract

Objectives:

Vitamin D (VitD) deficiency is associated with comorbidities in the elderly. The present study investigates the prevalence of VitD deficiency among the elderly in Qatar.

Research design and methods:

A retrospective study conducted between April 2010 and April 2012 that involved chart reviews. All elderly patients of age ≥65 years in geriatrics facilities including Rumailah hospital, skilled nursing facility and home healthcare services in Qatar were included in the study.

Measurements:

Patient characteristics and outcomes were analyzed and compared according to the severity of VitD deficiency. Correlation of VitD with comorbidities was analyzed. Mean follow-up period was 6 months.

Results:

A total of 889 patients were enrolled; the majority (66%) were females and the mean age was 75 ± 8.7 years. Patient comorbidities included hypertension (76.5%), diabetes mellitus (63%), dyslipidemia, (47.5%), dementia (26%) coronary artery disease (24%) and cerebrovascular accident (24%). The mean baseline serum VitD level was 24.4 ± 13.5 ng/ml; 72% of patients had VitD deficiency: mild (31%), moderate (30%) and severe (11%). Patients with severe VitD deficiency had significantly higher HbA_1c levels compared with patients with optimal VitD (P = 0.03). High density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in severe VitD deficiency patients compared with optimal VitD patients (P = 0.04). There was a positive correlation between HDL-C and VitD level (r = 0.17, P = 0.001), whereas HbA_1c levels showed negative correlation with VitD (r = −0.15, P = 0.009).

Conclusions:

A high prevalence of VitD deficiency (72%) was observed among the elderly in Qatar. Lower VitD was associated with higher HbA_1c and lower HDL-C levels. Further studies are warranted to evaluate whether VitD supplementation controls diabetes mellitus (DM) and low HDL-C levels among the elderly.

Keywords::

• Elderly
• Geriatrics
• Qatar
• Vitamin D deficiency

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This study was not funded.

Author contributions: H.K.A.: study design, data collection and manuscript drafting; N.N.: data collection and manuscript drafting; A.E.-M.: study design, data analysis and manuscript review; L.A.W.: data collection and manuscript drafting; A.S.: data collection and manuscript drafting; E.M.A.S.: study design and manuscript drafting. All the authors have read and approved the manuscript.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

H.K.A., N.N., A.E.-M., L.A.W., A.S., and E.M.A.S. have disclosed that they have no significant relationships with or financial interests in any commercial companies related to this study or article.

CMRO peer reviewers may have received honoraria for their review work. The peer reviewers on this manuscript have disclosed that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the nursing staff in the geriatric department for their care and cooperation. We are grateful to Dr Prem Chandra for his statistical analysis.