title: Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency among Elderly Males Living in Rural Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D is essential for bone strength. In our previous study of urban, elderly, males, the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was 48%, and they had a lower level of bone turnover marker than normal, young adult, Thai males.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To A) ascertain the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, B) to determine the bone turnover marker level in rural elderly males, and C) to compare urban and rural males with these parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among rural elderly males was 13.6%, while the level of bone turnover markers (P-CTx, and PINP) were in the normal Thai reference range. It was also found that rural elderly males had a significantly higher level of the calcidiol, iPTH, β-CTx, and PINP than their urban counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among rural elderly males was significantly lower than among urban males and rural males had a higher level of calcidiol, iPTH and bone turnover marker. The hypothesis was that differences in rural vs. urban lifestyle accounted for the discrepancy, possibly because elderly rural males performed strenuous outdoor labor while most urbanites stayed at home and/or had sedentary jobs.
authors.forename: Suppasin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soontrapa
authors.forename: Sukree
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soontrapa
authors.forename: Sakda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaikitpinyo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood; D015995:Prevalence; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D024042:Collagen Type I; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides; D011347:Procollagen; C052929:collagen type I trimeric cross-linked peptide; C047202:procollagen Type I N-terminal peptide