title: Vitamin D status of patients with femoral neck fractures.
abstract: Thirty-nine patients admitted to hospital with fractures of the neck of the femur had mean serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-(OH)D3) levels markedly lower than that of young healthy controls. There was also a significant seasonal variation in these 25-(OH)D3 levels, values in winter being about half those in summer. It is suggested that vitamin D deficiency plays an an important role in the pathology of old age.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010018:Osteomalacia / Q000209:etiology; D051381:Rats; D012621:Seasons; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications*