title: The status of serum vitamin D in the population of the United Arab Emirates.
abstract: Research exploring the status of serum vitamin D levels in the populations of countries bordering the Arabian Gulf shows a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency. These reports were usually drawn from small samples unlikely to be representative of the population. We explored serum vitamin D level in a large sample (7924) of patients who were given a blood test to check their vitamin D status on their first consultation at a day surgery hospital in Dubai. The overall mean level of 25(OH) D was ~ 20 ng/mL Deficiency was found among all age groups, in both sexes and in both local and non-local populations: overall 85.4% were vitamin D deficient, 12.5% showed insufficient serum vitamin D level, and only 2.1% had an appropriate level. In the multivariate model, serum vitamin D concentrations were positively correlated with male sex, local population and the 17-31 years age group.
authors.affiliation: Foot and Hand Clinic, Center for Evidence-Based Anatomy, Sport and Orthopaedic Research, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yammine
authors.affiliation: Administration Department, Emirates Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al Adham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D