High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in a mixed sample of patients in Brunei Darussalam
Juzaily Fekry LEONG 1, MAH YAKOB 1, En Ching FUNG 2, Ketan C PANDE 1
1 Department of Orthopaedics and 2 Department of Laboratory Services, RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Deficiency of vitamin D is linked to a number of conditions and is known to be prevalent in the South-east Asian region. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in a mixed sample of patients in Brunei Darussalam and to evaluate the sources of referral for vitamin D testing. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study on patient’s age, sex, source of referral and vitamin D levels done in 2012 were obtained from the results maintained in the Clinical Chemistry Section of the Department of Laboratory Services. Results: Complete data was available on 408/446 patients. A total of 61.3% women and 37.7% men had either vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. Women (n=331) had significantly lower mean levels of vitamin D level compared to men (n=77, 47.9 ± 21.3 nmol/L vs 60.9 ± 23.7 nmol/L; p<0.05). Patients under 50 years of age (n=193) had lower level of vitamin D compared to those above 50 years of age (n=215) (46.3 ± 20.1 vs 54.1 ± 23.6; p<0.05). The most common source of request for vitamin D level testing was the Internal Medicine unit (64.7%) followed by Rheumatology (15.7%) and Endocrinology (5.1%). Conclusions: More than 50% of patients tested had insufficiency or deficiency of vitamin D across various specialties. Internal medicine and related clinics were the most common sources of request. There is a need for further studies to determine the prevalence and risk factor for vitamin D insufficiency in general population and in specific disease states in Brunei Darussalam.
Keywords: Vitamin D, Vitamin D deficiency, Prevalence, Brunei Darussalam
Correspondence author: Juzaily Fekry Leong, 42 Jalan SS22/20, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 47400, Malaysia
Tel: +60 126760192, E mail: FekryL@hotmail.com
Brunei Int Med J. 2016; 12 (4): 134-139