Vitamin D-insufficiency: An estimate of the situation in Germany
Volume 4, Issue 1 January/February/March 2012 Dermato Endocrinology
Johann Diederich Ringe and Christoph Kipshoven
Background: Vitamin D insufficiency is increasingly recognized as an important risk factor in the pathogenesis of falls and fractures and may increase the risk of other diseases. The aim of this study was to obtain information about the vitamin D supply from a representative cohort of the German population.
Methods: 264 General Practitioners participated in the DeViD-Trial (D-Vitamin in Deutschland) by taking blood samples from their consenting daily ambulant patients regardless of the actual reason for consultation. In these blood samples Vitamin D (25(OH)D) and other related parameters were measured at a central laboratory. The patients filled in a simple questionnaire (i.e. age, sex etc.). The trial was performed between Feb. 26th and May 25th 2007
Results: Laboratory and personal data were documented for 1343 individuals (615 men, 728 women). The age distribution ranged from 20 to 99 years, the mean age of the whole cohort was 57.6 years (men 58.2, women 57.2). The mean 25-OH-D-value for the whole cohort was 16.2 ng/ml (range: 6.0 to 66.8, median 14.1 ng/ml).
- 10% of the patients had 25(OH)D-values below 7 ng/ml,
- 65% below 20 ng/ml and
- 92 % showed values below 30 ng/ml.
In the more recent literature, 25(OH)D values below 30 ng/ml are regarded as sub-optimal for bone, muscle and general health.
Correspondingly it can be stated that in this representative population there is a high prevalence of moderate to severe Vitamin D-insufficiency regardless of young or old age.
See also VitaminDWiki
- Overview Deficiency of vitamin D
- 90 % of Canadian youth less than 30 ng vitamin D – Oct 2010
- 90 % of young health care professionals had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2011
- 87 % of Tennessee general medicine patients had less than 32 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2011
- 86 % of UK elderly less than 30 ng - Jan 2010
- 86 % of German Rehab patients less than 10 ng vitamin D levels – Jan 2012
- 80 % of teens in Europe had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Aug 2011