99 percent of psychiatric population had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – June 2013

The prevalence and association of vitamin D deficiency in urban psychiatric population -Poster Board SUN-259

Program: Abstracts - Orals, Featured Poster Presentations, and Posters
Session: SUN 257-280-Disorders of Vitamin D Metabolism & Action; Basic/Translational
June 16, 2013: 1:45 PM-3:45 PM; Expo Halls ABC (Moscone Center)
Yin Htwe Oo* 1, Naureen Kaban i2, Amir Kalani 3, Alan Scott Sacerdote 4, Samy I McFarlane 5 and Gul Bahtiyar 6
1SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY, 2St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, WI, 3St. George’s University School of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY, 4NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 5SUNY Health Sci Ctr-Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY, 6Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

Background: Several studies confirm higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency in psychiatric patients.
The incidence is highest in schizophrenic patients. However, up to this date, it is not conclusive that vitamin D deficiency is a cause or effect of psychiatric illnesses. In addition to a few commonly known contributing factors for vitamin D deficiency in general population such as inadequate sun exposure and poor nutritional intake, some of anti-psychotic medications are known to interfere with intrinsic vitamin D synthesis.

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the prevalence and metabolic association of vitamin D deficiency in urban psychiatric population.

Method: This is a cross-sectional analysis of 108 psychiatric patients in an urban municipal hospital in Brooklyn, New York.
Vitamin D levels were obtained to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency and to examine the association of such deficiency on other metabolic parameters.

Result: Mean age (±SD) was 41.0 (±14.2) and mean BMI (±SD) was 28.2 (± 7.4).
Among the entire study population,

• 70% had vitamin D deficiency (25 OH vitamin D < 20 ng/ml) and
• 99% had vitamin D insufficiency (25 OH vitamin D < 30 ng/ml).

There was no significant difference in age, gender, BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, creatinine, calcium, and TSH in patients with vitamin D deficiency when compared to patients with normal vitamin D values.

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in urban psychiatry population. Implications of such deficiency on clinical metabolic parameters are largely unclear.

References

1. Parker G, Brotchie H.'D' for depression: any role for vitamin D? 'Food for Thought' II. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2011 Oct;124(4):243-9.
2. Jamilian H, Bagherzadeh K, Nazeri Z, Hassanijirdehi M. Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, serum calcium and phosphorus in patients with schizophrenia and major depression. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2012 Apr 26.
3. Itzhaky D, Amital D, Gorden K, Bogomolni A, Arnson Y, Amital H. Low serum vitamin D concentrations in patients with schizophrenia. Isr Med Assoc J. 2012 Feb;14(2):88-92.
4. McCue RE, Charles RA, Orendain GC, Joseph MD, Abanishe JO. Vitamin d deficiency among psychiatric inpatients. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2012;14(2).
5. Murie J, Messow CM, Fitzpatrick B. Feasibility of screening for and treating vitamin D deficiency in forensic psychiatric inpatients. J Forensic Leg Med. 2012 Nov;19(8):457-64.
6. Xuan Y, Zhao HY, Liu JM. Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes. J Diabetes. 2013 Jan 10.

See also VitaminDWiki

• 91 percent of psychiatric hospital admissions had less than 20 ng of vitamin D – May 2018
• Omega-3 and Vitamin D each treat many mental health problems - April 2018
• Prisoners have very low vitamin D and get TB, influenza, and depression
  This includes the story of how Dr. Cannell of Vitamin D Council first got interested in Vitamin D
• First and 2nd generation migrants 2X more likely to have psychotic disorders – Jan 2013
• Hypothesis: Some Mental Illness could be treated or prevented with vitamin D
• Vitamin D deficiency and psychiatric illness: evidence-based review – April 2013
• Psychiatric distress 2.4X more likely if low vitamin D – July 2015
• Psychosis in dark skinned people 3.5 X higher if low level of vitamin D – May 2012
• Overview Schizophrenia and Vitamin D
• Adults with intellectual disabilities under psychiatric care have low levels of vitamin D – Sept 2014
• All items in category Depression and Vitamin D 267 items

See also web

• Vitamin D deficiency in psychosis: our current (limited) understanding according to the latest meta-analysis.
  Patients with psychosis did have significantly lower vitamin D levels than healthy controls (6 studies analysed)
  2 studies examined the relationship between severity of vitamin D deficiency and severity of psychotic symptoms:
    1 found no correlations;
    1 found correlations between low vitamin D and high disorientation, psychomotor activity, low physical energy and somatic complaints.
  This paper was a comment on Belvederi Murri M, Respino M, Masotti M, Innamorati M, Mondelli V, Pariante C, Amore M. Vitamin D and psychosis: Mini meta-analysis. Schizophr Res. 2013 Jul 29.
• Low vitamin D levels found in 95 % of psychiatric inpatients within a forensic service. Nov 2014