[Hypovitaminosis D: a veiled diagnosis].
Four cases of hypovitaminosis D were seen in a general practitioner's population in the Netherlands: a Somalian veiled woman aged 53 and her 11-year-old daughter, a dark-skinned Surinam woman aged 31, and a veiled Moroccan woman aged 56 years. This cause of myopathy has only been recently recognised and is more prevalent than often thought, especially in high-risk groups such as veiled and dark-skinned immigrants who lack sunlight in the Netherlands. Symptoms are muscle pain and mainly proximal muscle weakness resulting in difficulties in ascending a staircase or getting up out of a chair. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a detailed history and measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Calcium and serum alkaline phosphatase activity may be normal. Treatment with ergocalciferol is effective and cheap. As diagnosis and treatment are relatively simple, finding and treating hypovitaminosis D is a rewarding challenge to primary health care practitioners in the Netherlands.
Grootjans-Geerts
I
I
grootjans@wxs.nl
D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2 / Q000172:deficiency*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004872:Ergocalciferols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D009426:Netherlands; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D013532:Suriname / Q000208:ethnology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
D004872:Ergocalciferols; D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2