title: Vitamin D status among patients visiting a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a retrospective review of 3475 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in several chronic, non-communicable diseases independent of its conventional role in bone and calcium homeostasis. In this retrospective study, we determined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its association to several cardiometabolic indices among patients visiting King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3475 charts of out-patient subjects who visited KAMC from September 2009 until December 2010 were reviewed and included. Variables of interest included measurements of vitamin D status, glycemic and renal profile, as well as trace elements (calcium and phosphorous).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The over-all prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the cohort studied was 78.1% in females and 72.4% in males. 25(OH) vitamin D was significantly associated with increasing age and weight (p-values < 0.0001 and 0.005, respectively). It was also positively associated with albumin, calcium and phosphorous (p-values < 0.0001, < 0.0001 and 0.0007, respectively) and negatively associated with alkaline phosphatase as well as circulating levels of PTH (p-values 0.0002 and 0.0007, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency is overwhelmingly common among patients seen at KAMC regardless of the medical condition, and it is significantly associated with increasing age, weight and markers of calcium homeostasis. Findings of the present study further stress the spotlight on vitamin D deficiency epidemic in the country and region in general.
authors: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food Science and Agriculture King Saud University, P, O, Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia. halfawaz@ksu.edu.sa.
authors: Hanan
authors: H
authors: Alfawaz
authors: Hani
authors: H
authors: Tamim
authors: Shmeylan
authors: S
authors: Alharbi
authors: Saleh
authors: S
authors: Aljaser
authors: Waleed
authors: W
authors: Tamimi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D