title: [Prevalence and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in general practices].
abstract: In 776 primary care patients serum vitamin D level was measured in month of september showing deficiency (<50 nmol/l) in 45,1%, severe deficiency (<30 nmol/l) in 9,8% and serum levels below the recommended target level of 75 nmol/l in 88,9% of cases. Three possible symptoms of vitamin D deficiency were assessed by a visual analogue scale (0-10): fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle and joint pain. A significant correlation between muscle weakness and degree of vitamin D deficiency was shown (p=0,04), whereas there was no correlation in the two other symptoms. However, patients with vitamin D deficiency more frequently reported fatigue (p=0,02) and muscle weakness (p=0,009) than patients without deficiency did, and no difference was seen concerning muscle and joint pain.
authors.affiliation: Hausarztverein Luzern-Reuss und Hausarztpraxen in Luzern und Agglomeration und Labor Bioanalytica Luzern. merlo.c@bluewin.ch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merlo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trummler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013557:Switzerland; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002112:Calcifediol