Basildon Hospital, Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust, Basildon, United Kingdom.
Broomfield Hospital, Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust, Broomfield, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2024 Apr 16;19(4):e0296247. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296247. eCollection 2024.
The role of Vitamin D in immune function is well reported with a growing evidence base linking low levels to poorer outcomes from infectious disease. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are prevalent worldwide with healthcare workers identified as a known at-risk group. Here we aim to investigate serum Vitamin D levels in a UK population of front line healthcare workers and to promote the occupational risk.
A cross-sectional study of 639 volunteers was conducted to identify the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency amongst a population of front-line health care workers in the UK. Participant demographics and co-morbid factors were collected at the time of serum sampling for multivariate analysis.
Only 18.8% of the population had a normal vitamin D level greater than or equal to 75nmol/L. This is compared to Public Health England's (PHE) stipulated normal levels of 60% during winter. 81.2% had a level less than 75nmol/L, with 51.2% less than 50nmol/L and 6.6% less than 25nmol/L. For serum levels less than 25nmol/L, Asian ethnicity was more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency than non-asian (OR (95%CI): 3.81 (1.73-8.39), p = 0.001), whereas white ethnicity was less likely to have a vitamin D deficiency compared to non-white (OR (95%CI: 0.43 (0.20-0.83), p = 0.03). Other factors that contributed to a higher likelihood of lower-than-normal levels within this population included male sex, decreased age and not taking supplementation.
It is concluded that our population of healthcare workers have higher rates of abnormal vitamin D levels in comparison with the general UK population reported prevalence. Furthermore, Asian ethnicity and age 30 years and below are more at risk of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. This highlights an occupational risk factor for the healthcare community to consider.
维生素 D 在免疫功能中的作用已得到充分证实，越来越多的证据表明，维生素 D 水平较低与传染病的预后较差有关。维生素 D 缺乏和不足在全球范围内普遍存在，医护人员已被确定为已知的高危人群。在这里，我们旨在调查英国一线医护人员人群中的血清维生素 D 水平，并探讨其职业风险。
对 639 名志愿者进行了横断面研究，以确定英国一线医护人员人群中维生素 D 缺乏和不足的患病率。在采集血清样本时收集了参与者的人口统计学和合并症因素，并进行了多变量分析。
只有 18.8%的人群维生素 D 水平正常（大于或等于 75nmol/L），而英国公共卫生署（PHE）规定冬季正常水平应达到 60%。81.2%的人群维生素 D 水平低于 75nmol/L，其中 51.2%低于 50nmol/L，6.6%低于 25nmol/L。对于血清水平低于 25nmol/L 的人群，亚洲种族比非亚洲种族更容易出现维生素 D 缺乏（OR（95%CI）：3.81（1.73-8.39），p=0.001），而白种人比非白种人更不容易出现维生素 D 缺乏（OR（95%CI）：0.43（0.20-0.83），p=0.03）。该人群中导致低于正常水平的其他因素包括男性、年龄降低和未服用补充剂。
与英国一般人群报告的流行率相比，我们的医护人员人群中维生素 D 水平异常的发生率更高。此外，亚洲种族和 30 岁及以下人群更容易出现维生素 D 不足和缺乏。这突出了医护人员群体需要考虑的职业风险因素。
