Vitamin D low in nearly all elderly who break hip (Reuters)

LONDON (Agence de Presse Medicale) - Vitamin D deficiency is nearly universal in cases of hip fractures, researchers in Scotland reported online in Current Medical Research and Opinion on Monday.

A look-back study of 548 patients older than 60 years of age who were admitted at South Glasgow University Hospital in the previous 4 years, showed that 97.8 percent of the patients had vitamin D levels below normal.

In 25 percent of the cases, levels were so low as to be described as "effectively unrecordable" by the researchers. There were no significant differences in patient age, sex or season of presentation.

Dr. Stephen Gallacher, lead researcher and consultant endocrinologist at the hospital said: "Although the numbers were too small to justify extensive subgroup analyzes the study appears to demonstrate that vitamin D inadequacy represents a significant correctable risk factor for fragility fracture and perhaps specifically for the hip."

Doctors, he added in a statement, "should do all they can to encourage their osteoporotic patients to adhere to their vitamin D supplementation."

The research was funded by Merck.