title: Low vitamin d status of patients in methadone maintenance treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  : To examine the prevalence and risk factors of low vitamin D status (vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency) among patients in a methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program.
  
  
  METHODS
  : Cross-sectional study of subjects recruited from an MMT program in a higher latitude (Boston, MA).
  
  
  METHODS
  : Standardized survey and medical record review were used to assess patient characteristics. Serum was tested to determine vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/mL) and insufficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D between 20 and 30 ng/mL). Multivariable analyses were used to assess risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : Low vitamin D status was found in 52% of the subjects (48 of 93), deficiency in 36%, and insufficiency in an additional 16%. Older age (OR = 3.47; 95% CI 1.31-9.22) and black or Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR 3.34; 95% CI 1.30-8.58) were significantly associated with higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  : Low vitamin D status was present in a majority of patients recruited from an MMT program. This raises the question as to whether this is a generalizable phenomenon and whether these patients are at higher risk of complications of low vitamin D status including bone pain, periodontal disease, osteomalacia, and cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Theresa W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Alford
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Holick
authors.forename: Alan O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Malabanan
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Samet