International Journal of General Medicine (Jul 2023)

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Vitamin D Deficiency in High Altitude Region in Saudi Arabia: Three-Year Retrospective Study

  • Abdelsalam M,
  • Nagy E,
  • Abdalbary M,
  • Alsayed MA,
  • Ali AAS,
  • Ahmed RM,
  • Alsuliamany ASM,
  • Alyami AH,
  • Althaqafi RMM,
  • Alsaqqa RM,
  • Ali SI,
  • Aljohani B,
  • Alghamdi AA,
  • Alghamdi FA,
  • Alsulaimani AA

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 2961 – 2970

Abstract

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Mostafa Abdelsalam,1,2 Eman Nagy,2 Mohamed Abdalbary,2 Mona Abdellatif Alsayed,1,3 Amr Abouzed Salama Ali,4 Reham Metwally Ahmed,1 Abdulbadie Saleh M Alsuliamany,1 Ali H Alyami,5– 7 Raad MM Althaqafi,8 Raghad M Alsaqqa,9 Safaa Ibrahim Ali,10 Bakar Aljohani,11 Ahmed Abdullah Alghamdi,12 Faisal A Alghamdi,9 Adnan A Alsulaimani1 1Internal Medicine Department, Alameen General Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia; 2Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt; 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt; 4Mansoura Medical District, Family Medicine Hospitals, Ministry of Health, Mansoura, Egypt; 5Department of Surgery, Ministry of the National Guard – Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Surgery, Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Orthopedics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 8Orthopedic Surgery Department, King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia; 9College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia; 10General Medicine Faculty, Sechenov University, Moscow City, Russian Federation; 11Neuroradiology, AlHada Military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia; 12College of Medicine, Al-Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Eman Nagy, Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt, Email [email protected]: Vitamin D has many functions in the human body, and its deficiency is associated with skeletal and non-skeletal diseases. Vitamin D deficiency (blood level of 25 (OH) vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) has been reported worldwide, including Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Its prevalence and associated factors vary according to KSA. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D deficiency in the Taif region of KSA.Methods: This retrospective study included patients who attended outpatient clinics at the Alameen General Hospital from 2019 to 2021. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected using a hospital software system.Results: The study included 2153 patients and vitamin D deficiency was diagnosed in 900 (41.8%) of whom were diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. It was more common in males (P=0.021), younger age (< 0.001), and in patients without comorbidities. There was a positive correlation between 25 (OH) vitamin D levels and blood cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, calcium, and vitamin B12 levels. In the binary logistic regression analysis, age was the most significant predictor (P< 0.001), followed by the absence of thyroid disease (P=0.012) and asthma (P=0.030).Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is common in the Saudi population despite sunny weather in KSA. It is more prevalent among males, younger individuals, and those without comorbidities such as thyroid diseases and asthma.Keywords: vitamin D, prevalence, risk factors, KSA, calcium

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