Online ISSN: 2515-8260

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Indian menopausal women

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Dr Swet Nisha1 , Dr. Archana Sinha2* , Dr. Dipali Prasad3

Abstract

Background:Due to poor exposure to sunlight and insufficient intake of vitamin D from diet, vitamin D deficiency is common among all age groups, and it is especially prevalent among women after menopause [1]. Vitamin D deficient postmenopausal women are prone to develop serious complications such as osteoporosis and consequent catastrophic fractures of the neck of the femur and vertebral column [2]. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in postmenopausal women varies in different countries Aim and Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods:This cross sectional observational study was carried out at Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, IGIMS, Patna, over the period of 1 year, from 2018- 2019, among 192 apparently healthy postmenopausal women (with 1 year of menstruation cessation) without known history of diabetes, thyroid, renal or hepatic disease or malignancy. Patients with surgical and other iatrogenic causes of menopause, history of surgery, hospitalization, or major medical illness within the past 1 year or on hormone replacement therapy, biophosphonates, teriparatide, glucocorticoids and other drugs affecting bone metabolism, were excluded from the study. On the basis of 25 (OH) D concentrations, measured by competitive in-vitro quantitative immunoassay, < 20 ng/mL, 20–30 ng/mL or > 30 ng/mL, patients were classified as vitamin D-deficient, insufficient or sufficient respectively. Results: In post-menopausal women, the vitamin D deficiency was observed in 102 women (53.13%) out of 192 postmenopausal healthy population , 38 women (19.79%) had insufficiency and 52 women (27.08%) had adequate Vitamin D levels. The most common factors associated with inadequate vitamin D levels included limited sun exposure, lack of dietary vitamin D intake. Conclusion: High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency exists even among apparently healthy Indian postmenopausal women. So, proper precaution should be taken to prevent the complications.

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