A step in the right direction

Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency among veterans with and without HIV infection

Objectives

We aimed to describe and compare the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency between HIV-negative and HIV-infected veterans in the southern United States, and to determine risk factors for vitamin D deficiency for HIV infected patients.

Methods

Cross-sectional, retrospective study including all patients followed at the Atlanta VA Medical Center with the first 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level determined between January 2007 and August 2010. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/ml).

Results

There was higher prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency among HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative patients (53.2 vs. 38.5%, p <0.001). Independent risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in HIV + patients included black race (OR 3.24, 95% CI 2.28–4.60), winter season (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05–1.84) and higher GFR (OR 1.01, CI 1.00–1.01); increasing age (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.95–0.98), and tenofovir use (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.54–0.96) were associated with less vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusions

Vitamin D deficiency is a prevalent problem that varies inversely with age and affects HIV-infected patients more than other veterans in care. In addition to age, tenofovir and kidney disease seem to confer a protective effect from vitamin D deficiency in HIV-positive patients.

Hypovitaminosis D3 in menopausal women in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi

Blood samples from 126 menopausal women, seeking treatment for different ailments at a tertiary care, multidisciplinary hospital in Delhi, India, were examined for their vitamin D(3), quantified by 25-hydroxvitamin D (25-OH-D) level. Using a direct ELISA kit, the 25-OH-D levels were measured and were found to be sufficient in 30 (23.8%) cases, adequate in 10 cases (7.9%) and deficient in 86 cases (68.2%). Severe hypo-vitaminosis in menopausal women in the Indian subcontinent ought to be treated with oral or parenteral supplementation. Point-of-care assay formats are needed for quantification of 25-OH-D levels at healthcare centers.