Abukhalil Abdallah Damin, Falana Hiba, Hamayel Rawan, Yasser Fatima, Nasser Aleen, Naseef Hani, Al-Shami Ni'meh, Rabba Abdullah
Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine.
Int J Gen Med. 2022 Nov 2;15:8033-8042. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S389190. eCollection 2022.
Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a global health concern. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated comorbidities in Palestine, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
A retrospective, descriptive study retrieved medical data from the Nat Health insurance processor database from 2014 to 2020. Patient information included age, sex, vitamin D laboratory order, symptoms, and comorbidities. This study included patients prescribed vitamin D at a dose of 50000IU for vitamin D deficiency confirmed by a serum vitamin D laboratory test. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS. In addition, a chi-square test was conducted to assess the association between vitamin D deficiency, symptoms, and comorbidities.
Data of 3011 patients were collected; 639 patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis, and 39 patients prescribed vitamin D without a laboratory test were excluded. Approximately, 1837 (78%) participants had vitamin D deficiency. A total of 1330 women (81.3%) were significantly more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than males, 507 (72.7%; P < 0.001). Joint pain, back pain, and cervicalgia were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (P < 0.001). Asymptomatic participants (2.1%) were significantly less likely to have vitamin D deficiency than symptomatic participants (9.5%, p < 0.001). Hypothyroidism is significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.048).
In this retrospective study, the prevalence of vitamin D was high and alarming. There was a significant association between VDD, patients who presented with back pain, arthritis, and cervicalgia symptoms, and patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Therefore, health initiative programs are warranted to increase awareness regarding screening, prevention, and treatment. Further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and the reduced risk of comorbid diseases.
维生素D缺乏（VDD）是一个全球性的健康问题。本研究旨在确定巴勒斯坦维生素D缺乏的患病率及其相关合并症，如糖尿病、高血压、高脂血症以及心血管和自身免疫性疾病。
一项回顾性描述性研究从国家健康保险处理数据库中检索了2014年至2020年的医疗数据。患者信息包括年龄、性别、维生素D实验室检查医嘱、症状和合并症。本研究纳入了经血清维生素D实验室检查确诊为维生素D缺乏且服用50000IU剂量维生素D的患者。使用IBM SPSS对收集的数据进行分析。此外，进行卡方检验以评估维生素D缺乏、症状和合并症之间的关联。
收集了3011例患者的数据；639例患者被诊断为骨质疏松症，39例未进行实验室检查就服用维生素D的患者被排除。大约1837名（78%）参与者存在维生素D缺乏。共有1330名女性（81.3%）比男性更易患维生素D缺乏，507名男性（72.7%；P<0.001）。关节疼痛、背痛和颈部疼痛与维生素D缺乏显著相关（P<0.001）。无症状参与者（2.1%）患维生素D缺乏的可能性明显低于有症状参与者（9.5%，p<0.001）。甲状腺功能减退与维生素D缺乏显著相关（p = 0.048）。
在这项回顾性研究中，维生素D缺乏的患病率很高且令人担忧。维生素D缺乏、出现背痛、关节炎和颈部疼痛症状的患者以及被诊断为甲状腺功能减退的患者之间存在显著关联。因此，有必要开展健康倡议项目，以提高对筛查、预防和治疗的认识。需要进一步研究来证实补充维生素D与降低合并症风险之间的关系。
