Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficit is one of the urgent problems nowadays.
Its prevalence varies from country to country. The Ukrainian studies held under Prof. Povoroznyuk’s supervision showed a high frequency of Vitamin D deficit among school children (92 %) and adults (81 %). Among the European adults, a severe Vitamin D deficit is registered in 2-30 % of cases, although it may come up to 75 % and over in the elderly people and hospice residents (Bikle D.D., 2005). According to the US, Canadian and European estimates, 20-100 % of independent residents have a reduced Vitamin D status (Van Der Wielen R.P., 1995; Lips P., 2001; Larsen E.R., 2004). Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency risk remains as high for the elderly and older people as for children and young or middle-aged people. The Greek and Polish studies show that the mean Vitamin D level found the blood serum of nursling babies and their mothers is below the norm (Challa A., 2005; Czech-Kowalska J. et al., 2012). The double-randomized Chinese study reveals over 90 % of young women from Beijing and Hong-Kong suffering from a reduced Vitamin D status (Woo J., 2008).
In most countries Vitamin D deficit is triggered by age, reduced moving activity, hospice and nursing home residence, lack of being in the open sun, BMI, consumption of fat fish and fortified products, sex, style of dress, seasonal factors, geographical residence, socio-economic status, urban dwelling.
Numerous studies show that Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency do not only affect the locomotor apparatus but also serve as risk factors for a number of acute and chronic diseases, namely infectious, autoimmune, cardiovascular, diabetes mellitus of Types 1 and 2, several types of cancer, neurocognitive and mental disorders, as well as some other conditions, such as sterility and pathological pregnancies or labor (Pludowski P. et al., 2013, Поворознюк В.В. и соавт., 2013). Vitamin D level in blood serum is known to reach its peak late in summer, and its minimum late in winter when Ukraine and Poland are concerned (Brot C. et al., 2001, Поворознюк В.В., 2012).
Reasonable solar insulation which is the principal source of Vitamin D for children and adults (Holick M.F., 2007; Pludowski P., 2013), raising awareness about consumption of food naturally rich or artificially enriched with Vitamin D (Holick M.F., 2007) as well as daily supplementation of required Vitamin D doses is intended for maintain the levels within the norm.
To commemorate Prof. V.V. Povoroznyuk’s significant contribution into medical science, training medical personnel, spreading knowledge and holding studies of Vitamin D, in October 2014 Prof. V.V. Povoroznyuk was awarded a decoration by the European Vitamin D Association Scientific society (EVIDAS) (link to Awards).
In 2014, supported by the Ukrainian Scientific-Medical Center of Osteoporosis Problems, the editors – Prof. V.V. Povoroznyuk and Prof. P. Pludowski – published a monograph ‘Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency: epidemiology, diagnostics, prophylaxis and treatment’.
The book presents the data on Vitamin D deficit epidemiology, describes its influence not only on the bone-muscular system but also other systems, offers the recent recommendations on treatment and prophylaxis of Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency for the Central European countries and the experience of their correction held under Prof. Povoroznyuk’s supervision.
You’re invited to the Ukrainian Scientific-Medical Center of Osteoporosis Problems to be diagnosed for Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency and to get answers on prophylaxis and treatment.
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