Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2015) 37 S13.2 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.37.S13.2

ECE2015 Symposia New concepts in Vitamin D research (4 abstracts)

Clinical consequences of low vitamin D status

Kevin Cashman


Vitamin D Research Group, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences and Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.


While there is still considerable debate as to what circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration may best represent low vitamin D status, it is clear that there is substantial evidence that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D <25/30 nmol/l) and inadequacy (<50/75 nmol/l) is moderate and high respectively, across Europe. This has significant implications for human health throughout the lifecycle and may impact on healthy growth and development as well as successful aging for current and possibly future generations. The last two decades has seen an enormous increase in the number of peer-reviewed publications which describe associations between vitamin D status and non-skeletal health outcomes, many of which contribute majorly to the disease burden in Europe and beyond. These are in addition to the traditionally accepted key role for vitamin D in calcium metabolism and skeletal health. This presentation will summarize recent information on the prevalence of low vitamin D status in Europe and wider to provide a perspective. It will also very briefly highlight the impact of methodological considerations in relation to measuring vitamin D status. It will then overview the current and emerging potential health and disease consequences of low vitamin D status, along with some indication of the underpinning evidence-base, where possible. The presentation will finish by highlighting current guidelines for addressing low vitamin D status in patient care but also explore possible strategies by which vitamin D status at population-level might be improved. Prevention of low vitamin D status in patient groups and the general population should pay dividends to the European health-care systems.

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