Low incidence of vitamin D levels deficiency in anesthesiology residents: A cross-sectional, retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is now a major global health problem. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Indonesia is 60–90% in various studies. Age, race, sunscreen use, medication, and malabsorption diseases are all factors that affect vitamin D levels. Recent studies also show the relation between COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency in severity and disease mortality. Vitamin D deficiency causes skeletal and extra-skeletal consequences. With limited studies on vitamin D levels of anesthesiology residents in Indonesia, we aim to determine the average vitamin D level and the affecting factors in this population. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine anesthesiology residents working in a tertiary care hospital were enrolled in this study. The participants were asked to complete the questionnaire, and blood samples were drawn to measure serum 25(OH)D. The factors that influence vitamin D levels were recorded for analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean vitamin D level in anesthesiology residents was 39.99 ng/mL. There were no significant relationships between vitamin D levels among anesthesiology residents with vitamin D consumption, high-calcium foods, frequency of exercise, history of COVID-19 infection, comorbidities, and duration of exposure to sunlight. Conclusion: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was low among anesthesiology residents. Vitamin D levels were optimal in professionals who are taking vitamin D supplements.

Keywords

• anesthesiology
• global health
• sunlight
• vitamin d deficiency