Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Unexplained Musculoskeletal Pain

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D is an essential element for establishing bone and muscle structures. Unexplained musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a common problem in elderly. The aim of this study is investigation of association between vitamin D defi­ciency and unexplained MSK pain. Methods: In order to quantify serum levels of vitamin D and other biochemical parameters, serum samples were taken from 1105 subjects aged from 17 to 79 years old, selected based on randomized clustered sampling from 50 blocks in Tehran Unex­plained MSK pain was assessed based on the verbal rating scale. Results: Prevalence of MSK pain was 4.4% in the group with normal serum vitamin D, 4.9% in the group of mild vitamin D deficiency, 7.4% in the group of moderate vitamin D deficiency and 11.3% in the group of severe vitamin D deficiency. There was also a relative risk for unexplained MSK pain of severe vitamin D deficiency of 1.26 (95%CI: 1.01-1.72). Odds Ra­tio was 4.65 (CI95%:1.25-17.3) in this women. We found quite a high prevalence of unexplained MSK pain in people partici­pated in our study. We also found a Conclusion: Positive relationship between BMI and unexplained MSK pain. Conclusion: vitamin D deficiency may be a major cause of unexplained MSK pain especially in older women.

Keywords

• Vitamin D deficiency
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Elderly