Lower pain and higher muscular strength in immigrant women with vitamin D deficiency following vitamin D treatment

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive statistics (mean, SD, minimum, and maximum) at baseline investigations for the treatment study group. Rated pain is an assessment of the maximum pain the past week on VAS 10/10. Bone tenderness measured with an algometer pressed against the sternum.

	The whole treatment study group				The attending		The non-attending
	n=25				n=21 (84%)		n=4 (16%)
	Mean	Min.	Max.	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Age (years)	32.0	21.5	40.5	4.7	31.7	5.0	33.7	2.4
Height (cm)	159.2	145	172	6.3	159.0	6.2	160.3	7.8
Weight (kilogram)	70.6	52	90	11.7	70.4	12.3	71.8	8.4
BMI	27.9	19	36	4.6	27.9	4.9	28.0	2.7
25(OH)D (nmol/L)	19.8	10	38	9.2	20.0	8.9	19.0	12.3
PTH (nmol/L)	80.5	22	175	43.2	80.4	46.5	81.3	22.7
Rated pain in VAS	5.7	2	10	2.1	5.7	2.1	no value	no value
Chair stand test* (s)	23.1	12	37	5.8	23.4	5.8	20.5	7.8
Bone tenderness (kPa)	584	210	876	186.4	567.7	184.1	721	202.2

VAS, visual analogue scale; PTH, parathyroid hormone; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

* Time taken to stand up from sitting position 10 times.

Table 2. The results (mean, maximum, minimum and p-values) of the investigations following 3 months of treatment compared with the results at baseline.

	Baseline				Following 3 mos of treatment				Difference of	Significance
	Mean	Min.	Max.	n	Mean	Min.	Max.	n	the means	P-value
25(OH)D (nmol/L)	20.0	10	38	21	61.3	36	119	19	41.3	<0.001
PTH (nmol/L)	80.4	22	175	21	47.3	18	110	21	−33.1	0.004
Rated pain in VAS (cm)	5.7	2	10	19	3.2	0	7	18	−2.5	0.005
Chair stand test (s)	23.4	12	37	21	19.7	11	29	20	−3.7	<0.001
Bone tenderness (kPa)	567.7	210	876	17	542.5	239	882	20	−25.2	0.470

VAS, visual analogue scale; PTH, parathyroid hormone; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D.