title: High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D status in patients with early Parkinson disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D insufficiency has been reported to be more common in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) than in healthy control subjects, but it is not clear whether having a chronic disease causing reduced mobility contributes to this relatively high prevalence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in a cohort of untreated patients with early PD (diagnosed within 5 years of study entry). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS The Deprenyl and Tocopherol Antioxidative Therapy of Parkinsonism (DATATOP) cohort is a well-characterized cohort of subjects with early, nondisabling PD. The cohort is well suited for examining the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency early in the course of the disease. We conducted a survey study of vitamin D status in stored blood samples from patients with PD enrolled in the placebo group of the DATATOP trial. Samples from baseline visits and end point/final visits (mean [SD], 18.9 [13.1] months) were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration in blinded fashion.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mean vitamin D concentration and the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency at baseline and end point/final visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 199 subjects, 170 (85.4%) had samples from the baseline and end point visits available for analysis; 13 were excluded (10 with low probability of having PD and 3 with 25[OH]D concentrations>3 SDs above the mean). In the remaining 157 subjects, the mean (SD) 25(OH)D concentrations at the baseline and end point visits were 26.3 (8.6) ng/mL and 31.3 (9.0) ng/mL, respectively (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 2.496). The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (25[OH]D concentration<30.0 ng/mL) was 69.4% at baseline and 51.6% at the end point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with early PD was similar to or higher than those reported in previous studies. Vitamin D concentrations did not decline during progression of PD. Further studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and significance of vitamin D insufficiency in PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. mevatt@emory.edu
authors.forename: Marian L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Evatt
authors.forename: Mahlon R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: DeLong
authors.forename: Meena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumari
authors.forename: Peggy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Auinger
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Vin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tangpricha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols; D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D