Study of the correlation between the serum level of vitamin D and osteoporosis in the elderly people in Urumqi.

Objective To study the association between vitamin D status and osteoporosis in the elderly people in Urumqi. Methods Two hundred patients over 65 years old were collected from July 2013 to January 2014 in the Department of Geriatrics of our hospital. The age ranged from 65 to 92 years old, with an average of 78.2 ±10.2 years old. The BMD of the lumbar spine (L1-4) and the femoral neck was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, HOLOGIC Discovery wi S/N86451 model).Serum 25 (OH) D was determined using chemiluminescence method with an electrochemical luminescence detector (Roche, E411 model). Serum vitamin D status was classified into 4 groups according to the serum 25(OH) D levels, severe deficiency (group A), deficiency (group B), insufficiency (group C), and sufficiency (group D) .The participants were divided into 3 age groups, 60-69 year group, 70-79 year group, and over 80 year group. Results Among the females, the prevalence of vitamin D severe deficiency, deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency was 26.5%(30 cases), 49.6% (56 cases), 15.9% (18 cases), and 8.0% (9 cases), respectively. Among the males, the prevalence of vitamin D severe deficiency, deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency was 20.6% (18 cases), 48.3% (42 cases), 19.5% (17 cases), and 11.5% (10 cases), respectively. BMD of femoral neck in vitamin D severe deficiency subgroup was significantly lower than that in vitamin D deficiency subgroup, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) .25 (OH) D levels and BMD values of the lumbar vertebrae in women among all age groups were not significantly different (P=0.215, P=0.036). BMD values of the femoral neck, the greater trochanter, the intertrochanter, and the hip were gradually decreased with the increase of age, with significant difference among the groups (P<0.01). No significant difference of 25(OH)D levels and BMD values of the lumbar vertebrae and the hip in men among all age groups was observed (P>0.05). Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is a quite serious problem in the elderly in Urumqi. There is no evidence that the serum 25(OH) D level is associated with BMD. A large sample study is needed to explore the correlation between vitamin D status and osteoporosis in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]