The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patient with fragility hip fracture at a single institution in Thailand

Background: The proportion of people aged 65 years or older continues to increase in Thailand. Consistent with that trend, the number of fragility fracture patients is increasing. Hypovitaminosis D is one of the important factors associated with fragility fracture. Objective: To evaluate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients with fragility hip fracture in Thailand. Material and Method: This study retrospectively reviewed 25(OH)D level in fragility hip fracture patients treated at Siriraj Hospital between January 2012 and December 2015. Results: Three hundred seventy nine fragility hip fractures were included in this study. Two hundred sixty eight of those patients had serum 25(OH)D level available within one month after fracture. Mean age of patients was 80.8±8.3 years and 74.6% were women. One hundred twenty four patients (46.3%) had vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) and 86 patients (32.1%) had vitamin D insufficiency (20 to 30 ng/mL). Parathyroid hormone level was available in 159 of 268 patients, and 31.5% of those had hyperparathyroidism (PTH level >65 pg/mL). Conclusion: Orthopedists who treat fragility hip fracture should always include treatment of vitamin D deficiency in their patient management plan. Future studies should establish treatment guidelines regarding dose and duration of vitamin D supplementation in fragility hip fracture patients.