| Summary: | A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of
Master of Medicine in the branch of Internal Medicine
Johannesburg, 2014 === Background: Hypovitaminosis D is endemic worldwide. With the discovery of extra skeletal receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the influence of vitamin D (25(OH)D3) deficiency has been investigated in metabolic diseases. In South Africa, little is known about 25(OH)D3 status.
Aim: To investigate the 25(OH)D3 status in patients in Johannesburg, and to assess for any correlation between 25(OH)D3 , metabolic diseases and patient demographics and seasonal variation.
Methods: A retrospective study of 1000 patients attending a northern suburb practice in Johannesburg was performed. Serum 25(OH)D3 levels, demographics and metabolic data were collected.
Results: The mean 25(OH)D3 level was 24.45ng/ml and 74.3% were vitamin D deficient. There was no difference in mean 25(OH)D3 levels between age or gender groups. The lowest mean 25(OH)D3 was in the Indian race (p=0.001), HOMA-IR >2 (p=0.001), fasting glucose >7 (p=0.016) and highest was measured during the summer (p=0.001). There was a significant correlation between 25(OH)D3 level and cholesterol (p=0.001), however no correlation was found with hypertension or diabetes.
Conclusion: This study reports a high incidence of hypovitaminosis D especially among Indians. In this study there was no correlation between hypovitaminosis D and metabolic factors except for a negative correlation with the cholesterol level.
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