Arantes HP, Kulak CA, Fernandes CE, Fernandes CE, Zerbini C, Bandeira F, Barbosa IC, Brenol JC, Russo LA, Borba VC, Chiang AY, Bilezikian JP, Lazaretti-Castro M.
Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2013
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Abstract
Summary We investigated vitamin D status in Brazilian cities located at different latitudes. Insufficiency ( Introduction Inadequate vitamin D, determined by low levels of 25(OH)D, has become very common despite the availability of sunlight at some latitudes. National data from a country that spans a wide range of latitudes would help to determine to what extent latitude or other factors are responsible for vitamin D deficiency. We investigated vitamin D status in cities located at different latitudes in Brazil, a large continental country. Methods The source is the Brazilian database from the Generations Trial (1,933 osteopenic or osteoporotic postmenopausal women (60 to 85 years old) with 25(OH)D measurements). 25(OH)D below 25 nmol/L (10 ng/mL) was an exclusion criterion. Baseline values were between fall and winter. The sites included Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre. Mean and standard deviation of 25(OH)D, age, spine and femoral neck T-score, calcium, creatinine, and alkaline phosphatase were calculated for each city. Pearson correlation was used for 25(OH)D and latitude. Results Insufficiency ( Conclusion There is a high percentage of individuals with vitamin D insufficiency in Brazil, even in cities near the equator, and this percentage progressively increases with more southern latitudes.