title: Age-dependent vitamin D status and vertebral condition of white women living in Curaçao (The Netherlands Antilles) as compared with their counterparts in The Netherlands.
abstract: Plasma vitamin D metabolites and parathyroid hormone concentrations of two groups of white women, aged 26-46 and 63-83 y, in Curaçao were studied to evaluate the effect of yearlong abundant sunlight on frequency of vertebral compression fractures in elderly women. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D of the younger group (median, 116 nmol/L) was higher than that of the older group (75 nmol/L). Both groups had higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with approximately age-matched counterparts in The Netherlands during autumn and winter (50 and 25 nmol/L, respectively). Similar differences were found for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, although to a lesser extent. Parathyroid hormone concentrations of older women in Curaçao (4.3 pmol/L) were higher than those of the younger women (2.3 pmol/L). Roentgenographic analyses of the spines of the older women did not show vertebral compression fractures commonly encountered in women living at higher latitudes. Uninterrupted high plasma concentrations of vitamin D metabolites may reduce vertebral compression fractures in postmenopausal white women.
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dubbelman
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jonxis
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Muskiet
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Saleh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000208:ethnology; D009427:Netherlands Antilles; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000208:ethnology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D