January - March 2013, Volume 9, Issue 1

Mocanu V

Vitamin D deficiency and metabolic syndrome among nursing home residents

Acta Endo (Buc) 2013, 9 (1): 53-61
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2013.53

Context: Vitamin D deficiency is extremely prevalent in nursing home residents and could be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Objective: To examine the association of serum vitamin D level with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in nursing home residents. Design: This was a case-control study. Subjects and Methods: We have investigated the status of vitamin D by measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations in 45 older adults (28 women and 17 men, aged 58-89 years) living in a nursing-home in Iasi, Romania. Their vitamins D status (25-hydroxyvitamin D), C-reactive protein, fasting blood glucose, insulin, triglicerides, total and HDL cholesterol were assessed using venous blood. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, height and waist circumference were measured following standard protocols. Data was analysed using t-test, chi-square test, General Linear Model and multiple logistic regression. Results: In our study 56% of nursing home residents have serum 25(OH)D less than 30 nmol/l (vitamin D deficiency). Considering NCEP-ATP III criteria, the overall prevalence of the MetS in participants of this study was 35.5%. In the multivariate model (adjusted for sex, fasting serum glycemia, and triglycerides), vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with being female (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.38-5.73), abdominal obesity (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 0.39-4.7), high systolic blood pressure (OR: 6.83; 95% CI: 1.09-42.9), low HDL-cholesterol (OR: 3.82; 95% CI: 0.55-26.6), and MetS (OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 0.27-10.8). Conclusions. This study highlights the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among nursing home residents and its association with multiple risk factors for metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: geriatrics, cholecalciferol, vitamin D deficiency, metabolic syndrome, nursing home residents.

Correspondence: Veronica Mocanu MD, “Gr.T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy-Pathophysiology, 16 University street, Iasi, 700115, Romania, E-mail: veronica_mocanu@yahoo.com