Source
Clinical Age Research Unit, Department of Health Care of the Elderly, GKT School of Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK. jugdeep.dhesi@kcl.ac.uk
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
to assess the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in a falls clinic population. To identify simple clinical predictors of vitamin D insufficiency.
DESIGN:
prospective observational descriptive study.
PARTICIPANTS:
400 consecutive patients who attended a falls clinic taking referrals from a casualty department or general practitioners.
RESULTS:
Hypovitaminosis D is very common, affecting at least 72% of a falls clinic population. The number of times an individual goes out per week and serum albumin are independent predictors of hypovitaminosis D, but the predictive value is low.
CONCLUSIONS:
the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is high in a falls clinic population. It is difficult to predict which individuals are most at risk within this population. The benefits of vitamin D supplementation in older people are well recognized. Therefore in the absence of toxic effects, a pragmatic approach may be to supplement all attendees at a falls clinic.