Gender differences in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a southern Latin American country: a pilot study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to study the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, assessing the influence of sex, age, and season of the year.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1329 healthy subjects (668 women and 661 men) aged 18–89 years in Santiago, Chile. Age (years), body mass index, medical history, working status, sex, and date of blood sample were collected.

Results: Men were slightly older than women (53.1 ± 18.2 vs. 50.0 ± 15.6 years; p < 0.01) and a higher percentage worked outside the home (73.1% vs. 51.9%, p < 0.001). The mean serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)-D) was 23.3 ± 9.3 ng/ml in women and 20.9 ± 9.5 ng/ml in men (p < 0.001). The levels of 25(OH)-D by season were 26.7 ± 9.0, 23.6 ± 9.7, 19.4 ± 8.5, and 19.1 ± 9.5 ng/ml (for summer, fall, winter, and spring, respectively; p < 0.05). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency increases with age, rising from 36.5% under 40 years to 48.0% over 60 years (p < 0.004). Male sex, winter and spring, and age showed negative correlation with levels of 25(OH)-D (p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression showed a final model that incorporates: age (coefficient: −0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.09 to −0.03; p < 0.001), male sex (coefficient: −2.00; 95% CI: −2.96 to −1.05; p < 0.001), summer (coefficient: 7.30; 95% CI: 6.17 to 8.43; p < 0.001), and fall (coefficient: 4.27; 95% CI: 3.04 to 5.50; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in men than in women, in the elderly, and during the winter and spring seasons.

摘要

目的：本研究旨在研究维生素D缺乏症的患病率, 评估性别、年龄和一年中不同季节对维生素D缺乏症的影响。方法：对智利圣地亚哥1329名18-89岁的健康受试者(668名女性和661名男性)进行横断面研究。收集年龄(岁)、体重指数、病史、工作状态、性别和血样日期。结果：男性年龄略高于女性(53.10±18.2vs.50.0±15.6岁；p<0.001), 外出工作的比例较高(73.1%vs.51.9%, p<0.05)。25-羟基维生素D(25(OH)-D)平均血清浓度女性为23.3±9.3 ng/ml, 男性为20.9±9.5 ng/ml(P<0.001)。25(OH)-D的不同季节水平分别为26.7±9.0、23.6±9.7、19.4±8.5和19.1±9.5 ng/ml(夏季、秋季、冬季和春季, P<0.05)。维生素D缺乏症患病率随年龄增长而增加, 从40岁以下的36.5%上升到60岁以上的48.0%(p<0.004)。男性、冬春季节、年龄与25(OH)-D水平呈负相关(p<0.05)。多元线性回归显示了一个包含以下内容的最终模型：年龄(系数：-0.06；95%可信区间：-0.09∼-0.03；p<0.001)、男性(系数：-2.0；95%CI：-2.96∼-1.05；p<0.001)、夏季(系数：7.3；95%CI：6.17∼8.43；p<0.001)、秋季(系数：4.27；95%CI：3.0∼5.5；p<0.001)。结论：维生素D缺乏症在男性比女性中, 在老年人以及在冬季和春季更为普遍。

Keywords:

• Vitamin D
• 25-hydroxyvitamin D
• calcidiol
• seasonal variation
• men
• women

Potential conflict of interest

J. E. Blümel received support from Grünenthal for attending the IMS Congress 2018, Vancouver. C. Castelo-Branco received Honoraria from Italfarmaco Spain, FAES, and Theramex. M. S. Vallejo, E. Arteaga, S. Aedo, V. Tapia, A. Araos, and C. Sciaraffia declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Source of funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Data reference

Blümel JE. Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in men than in women. A study from a southern country. Mendeley Data. 2019. https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/f96nvpgmt4/draft?a=32c5086fafc0-4ce0-80e1-05d83ed5adc2