[Prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adults aged 18-65 years in northern France].

Introduction: Screening and treatment of vitamin D deficiency are the subject of several publications. A lot of recognized risk factors have increased steadily, leading to the recognition of populations at risk. Despite their exposure to the same risk factors as other populations, there are no recommendations concerning healthy adults, a population rarely studied. To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adults aged 18-65 years residing in northern France and to search for correlated risk factors at 20ng/mL.
Methods: Descriptive, prospective, single-center epidemiology study; 297 subjects studied in January and February, 2015. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was determined at three serum levels (10, 20 and 30ng/mL). A self-administered questionnaire was used to identify risk factors correlated with vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/mL).
Results: 25(OH) vitamin D serum level was strictly less than 30ng/mL in 92.3% of participants, strictly less than 20ng/mL in 75.1%, and strictly less than 10ng/mL in 27.9%. Male gender (P=0.0001), age (P=0.012), no vacations in sunny regions (P=0.03) and no intake of prescription vitamin supplements (P=0.002) were independent risk factors of vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/mL).
Conclusion: In our population, vitamin D deficiency is frequent in healthy adults and is often severe. A systematic screening and supplementation strategy would limit the development of many pathological complications and ensure good nutritional balance.
(Copyright © 2016 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)