Low Vitamin D Levels in Hospitalized Patients.

We don't often think about vitamin D deficiency in our patients, but this study suggests that hypovitaminosis D is common -- at least among adult . . .

We don't often think about vitamin D deficiency in our patients, but this study suggests that hypovitaminosis D is common -- at least among adult inpatients at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Researchers measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in 290 patients admitted to general medical wards in March and September of 1994, and interviewed them about diet and sun exposure. The prevalences of moderate and severe hypovitaminosis D were 34 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Inadequate vitamin D intake, winter season, and being homebound were independent predictors of low vitamin D levels on multivariate analysis. Even among a subgroup of 77 lower-risk patients (e.g., those under age 65 who were not homebound or chronically ill), 27 perc…

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