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AbstractObjective:To assess dietary calcium and vitamin D intake and their relationship with prescription medication and nutritional supplement use among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in France.Research design and methods:Telephone interviews were conducted with 207 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis referred by a random sample of physicians from a French national list. Based on a French food frequency questionnaire, patients reported their daily food intake and frequency as well as their use of prescription medications and nutritional supplements.Results:Average daily dietary vitamin D intake was only 144.8IU (SD 84.6, p<0.01 compared to the recommended 800IU), with 30 of the sample taking a vitamin D supplement. No participant had more than 500IU vitamin D daily from food alone and 78 had less than 200IU per day. A total of 51 of patients took no vitamin D supplements and had less than 5 hours of sun exposure in a week. Patients who were receiving osteoporosis medications and those who were not had comparable vitamin D intake. The average daily dietary calcium intake was 966.4mg (SD 273.7, p<0.01 compared to the 800mg recommended). Calcium supplements were taken by 38 of participants and older patients tended to take more. Limitations of the study include convenience sampling and patient self-report.Conclusions:Daily vitamin D intake among this sample of postmenopausal osteoporotic women in France was significantly lower than recommended dosages. At least 50 of these patients might benefit by adding vitamin D to their current therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTBackground:Concomitant allergic rhinitis (AR) adds to the symptomatic burden of asthma.Scope:To determine the proportion of adults with concomitant asthma and AR whose AR is diagnosed and/or treated, data were derived from a cross-sectional, stratified, random sample of 26,468 adults from France, Germany and the UK, participants in the 2004 web-based National Health and Wellness Survey. Patients were drawn from the database if they reported (1) experiencing asthma in the prior 12 months, (2) a physician diagnosis of asthma, and (3) ever experiencing ‘nasal allergies/hay fever’ (physician diagnosed or self-reported symptoms).Findings:Of 1139 patients with asthma who reported AR, 203 (18) did not have a diagnosis of AR. Of these, 86 (42) pursued over-the-counter self-treatment for AR, and 117 (58) remained untreated. Of 936 patients who reported diagnosed AR, 471 (50) received AR prescriptions, 200 (21) pursued over-the-counter self-treatment, and 265 (28) remained untreated. Overall, 34 of patients with asthma and diagnosed or self-reported AR were not treated for AR. There were no significant differences in QoL over the prior 4 weeks, nor healthcare resource use over the prior 6 months between patients treated and those not treated for AR.Conclusion:Based on self-reported data, despite global treatment guidelines recommending evaluation and treatment of AR among patients with asthma, AR was not diagnosed for 1 in 5 patients, and AR was not treated for 1 in 3 patients with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]