High Rates of Vitamin D Deficiency in Acute Rehabilitation Patients.
Jennifer Wu, Valerie Chavez-Arom, Jay J Han and 1 others
PMID 34589687WHAT IT FOUND
Seventy-six percent of patients admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation had low vitamin D levels, with 47% classified as deficient.
Younger patients were significantly more likely to be deficient than older ones. This suggests acute rehab patients are an at-risk group for vitamin D deficiency.
Key findings
0176% of the study sample had low vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL), with 47% in the deficient range (<20 ng/mL).
02Younger age was significantly associated with both low vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency, with 100% of patients under 45 years having low levels.
03Sex, ethnicity, BMI, admitting diagnosis, and other clinical variables were not significantly associated with vitamin D status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional and retrospective, meaning it can only show associations, not cause-and-effect relationships. The sample size was relatively small (100 patients) and from a single facility, which may limit how well the results apply to other regions or patient populations. The study did not include a control group of healthy community-dwelling adults for direct comparison, though it compared rates to previously reported literature. Vitamin D levels were measured using an immunoassay, which has a lower detection limit of 7 ng/mL; three patients had undetectable levels assigned this value, which may affect precision in the lowest range. The analysis of specific medication effects (antiepileptics, steroids) may have been underpowered due to the small number of patients taking these drugs.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text, though the study was approved by a university institutional review board.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating vitamin D deficiency in these patients will automatically improve their rehabilitation outcomes or function. This study only reports the prevalence of deficiency and its association with age; it did not test whether supplementation leads to better recovery, reduced falls, or improved strength.