title: Vitamin D status: a review with implications for the pelvic floor.
abstract: Vitamin D is a micronutrient vital in calcium homeostasis and musculoskeletal function. Vitamin D insufficiency is a common variant of vitamin D deficiency that shows clinical signs of rickets and osteomalacia. The clinical significance of vitamin D insufficiency is being explored in several medical conditions. However, the most robust work suggests a role in musculoskeletal disease. The pelvic floor is a unique part of the body and the function of which is dependent on interrelationships between muscle, nerve, connective tissue, and bone. Pelvic floor disorders result when these relationships are disrupted. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding vitamin D nutritional status, the importance of vitamin D in muscle function, and how insufficient or deficient vitamin D levels may play a role in the function of the female pelvic floor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th Street South, 176F, Suite 10382, Birmingham, AL 35249, USA. cautry@uabmc.edu
authors.forename: Candace Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Parker-Autry
authors.forename: Kathryn L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Burgio
authors.forename: Holly E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D059952:Pelvic Floor Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D