Citation

Di Monaco M, Vallero F, Castiglioni C, Di Monaco R, Tappero R. Maturitas 2011; 68(1): 79-82.

Affiliation

Osteoporosis Research Center, Presidio Sanitario San Camillo, Strada Santa Margherita 136, 10131 Torino, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.09.001

PMID

20888157

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the occurrence of simultaneous fractures of the upper limb in older women who sustain a fall-related fracture of the hip. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We investigated 472 of 480 white women consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation hospital because of a fall-related hip fracture. Twenty-seven (5.7%) of the 472 women sustained a concomitant upper-limb fracture of either distal radius (20 women) or proximal humerus (seven women). We assessed serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 14.2±4.1 (mean±SD) days after surgical repair of the hip fracture in the 472 women by an immunoenzymatic assay. RESULTS: Twenty-five-hydroxyvitamin D levels were significantly lower in the 27 women with concomitant fractures of both hip and upper limb than in the remaining 445 hip-fracture women: mean±SD values were 6.5±5.0ng/ml and 11.7±10.4ng/ml respectively in the two groups (mean difference between groups 5.2ng/ml: 95% CI 1.2-9.2; p=0.011). Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitaimn D were significantly associated with concomitant fractures of the upper limb (p=0.017), after adjustment for eight potential confounders including age, height, weight, hip-fracture type, cognitive impairment, neurologic impairment, previous hip fracture, and previous upper-limb fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly associated with concomitant upper-limb fractures in our sample of older women with a fall-related fracture of the hip. Preventing vitamin D deficiency may lower the incidence of simultaneous fractures due to a singe fall in elderly women.

Language: en