Vitamin D deficiency was common in all patients at a Swedish primary care centre, but more so in patients born outside of Europe

Vitamin D and bone metabolism in Graves' disease: a prospective study

PURPOSE

Vitamin D and osteoporosis in Graves' disease (GD) have been examined in cross-sectional studies with divergent results. Here, we prospectively studied vitamin D metabolism and bone health in patients with newly diagnosed GD.

METHODS

Thirty consecutive patients with de novo overt thyrotoxicosis diagnosed with GD were included. At diagnosis, none of the patients were treated with vitamin D or anti-osteoporotic drugs. All patients were initially treated with antithyroid drugs. Blood samplings were taken at baseline and at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after treatment start. Serum levels of 25OHD3, 1,25OH2D3, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and C-terminal telopeptides of Type I collagen (CTX-I) were analysed. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at baseline, and 1 and 2 years after treatment initiation.

RESULTS

At diagnosis, patients with GD did not have vitamin D deficiency. There were no significant correlations between levels of 25OHD3 and thyrotoxicosis. Upon treatment of the thyrotoxicosis, serum calcium fell transiently, and PTH and 1,25OH2D3 increased. 25OHD3 fell within the normal range and stabilised at 6 months. CTX-I fell over 12 months, BMD increased significantly up to 2 years, p = 0.002, < 0.001 and 0.005 in the spine, left total hip and left femoral neck, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present data underline that thyrotoxicosis has a negative impact on bone health and demonstrate fine-tuned dynamics in bone and vitamin D metabolism. Upon treatment, bone health improved over a follow-up period of 24 months despite rising PTH. Increased conversion of 25OHD3 to 1,25OH2D3 occurs during treatment of GD.

Could Vitamin D influence risk for Periodontal Disease - to "D" or not to "D"?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to discuss the literature on associations between vitamin D and periodontal disease, including its strengths and weaknesses. Future direction for continued work in this area is provided.

RECENT FINDINGS

Research in cross-sectional cohorts, surveys, and case-control studies provide support for a role of vitamin D in periodontal disease, especially using clinical indicators such as bleeding on probing and clinical attachment loss. However, these studies have a number of limitations. They cannot establish temporality of these associations. Most case-control studies have been limited in sample size and have inconsistent findings. A number of cross-sectional studies are restricted to select populations (e.g., persons with HIV, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis) limiting extrapolation of findings to the general aging population.Fewer prospective studies have been conducted, and only three have examined associations using a biomarker for vitamin D that reflects exposure from all its sources (sunlight, diet and supplements). One study is limited by using self-reported measures of disease outcomes, and only two used measures of alveolar crestal height. However, of the prospective studies published, there is a suggestion that vitamin D might prevent against tooth loss. Only two randomized controlled trials have examined these associations, and they support the effects of vitamin D supplementation on prevention of tooth loss and gingival bleeding.

SUMMARY

We strongly suggest that new research should focus on prospective study designs with followup of participants longer than a decade and long-term clinical trials. Such studies should incorporate measures of alveolar bone loss and tooth loss with indication for reason for tooth loss. Such clinical trials should be designed to examine both the influence of vitamin D supplementation alone as well as with other nutrients (e.g., calcium) or therapeutic medications (e.g., bisphosphonates). Currently, there is no strong evidence to suggest that vitamin D protects against development of periodontal disease.

Dementia in immigrant groups: A cohort study of all adults 45 years of age and older in Sweden

OBJECTIVE

To study the association between country of birth and incident dementia in several immigrant groups in Sweden.

METHODS

The study population included all adults (n = 3,286,624) aged 45 years and older in Sweden. Dementia was defined as having at least one registered diagnosis of dementia in the National Patient Register. The incidence of dementia in different immigrant groups, using Swedish-born as referents, was assessed by Cox regression, expressed in hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for age, geographical residence in Sweden, educational level, marital status, and neighbourhood socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

A total of 136,713 individuals had a registered dementia event, i.e. 4.2%; 3.6% among men and 4.9% among women. After adjusting for confounders, in general, there was a lower incidence of dementia among both male immigrants (HR 0.85, 0.83-0.88) and female immigrants (HR 0.93, 0.91-0.95) compared to their Swedish-born counterparts. Among immigrant groups, a higher incidence (HR, 95%CI) of dementia was observed among men from Finland (1.14, 1.08-1.20), Bosnia (1.61, 1.18-2.20), Estonia (1.25, 1.10-1.43) and Russia (1.37, 1.12-1.69), and women from Finland (1.20 1.15-1.24) and Norway (1.14, 1.07-1.22).

CONCLUSIONS

Risk of dementia was lower in immigrants in general compared to the Swedish-born population; however there were substantial differences among immigrant groups in risk of dementia. Developing dementia in a new country with a different language could cause problems for both patients and the health care staff.