title: Vitamin D deficiency in the urological population: a single center analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vitamin D has a well-known role in calcium metabolism and bone health. It may also help prevent a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and malignancies such as breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. To our knowledge the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has never been reported in the general urological population. We evaluated the vitamin D status of this population at a large academic center.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the records of 3,763 male and female patients from a urology database at a single academic institution. Patients were identified whose levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured for the first time between 1997 and 2010. We determined the prevalence of normal--greater than 30, insufficient--20 to 29 and deficient--less than 20 ng/ml 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 2,559 patients (68%) had suboptimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (less than 30 ng/ml), of whom 1,331 (52%) were frankly deficient (less than 20 ng/ml) in the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency was more common in patients younger than age 50 years (44.5%), black (53.2%) and Hispanic (41.6%) patients (p <0.001), and patients without an existing urological malignancy (35.4%, p <0.001). On multivariate analysis race, age, season and cancer diagnosis were independent predictors of vitamin D status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in urological patients at a major urban medical center. Urologists should consider recommending appropriate supplementation during the initial assessment of all patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Max S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pitman
authors.forename: Philippa J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cheetham
authors.forename: Gregory W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Hruby
authors.forename: Aaron E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014565:Urogenital Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D