Among US Veterans, Higher Rates of Vitamin D Deficiency in African Americans

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and immune dysregulation are reciprocally linked In turn, associations between Vitamin D deficiency and the course of several infections, including influenza, as well as certain cancers and metabolic conditions have been previously reported African-Americans are known to have a higher prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency than Caucasians We are now analyzing racial differences in 25-OH-D deficiency in US Veterans, who have a more homogeneous access to laboratory testing and Vitamin D supplementation than the general population Methods: The study is based on analysis of electronic medical records In a sample of 2,399,411 Veterans [age (SD)= 62 2(15)} who had at least one blood 25-OH-D result during FY2001-FY2014, the lowest level was seasonally adjusted and analyzed Odds of having a seasonally adjusted blood level of 25-OH-D level