Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Falls in the elderly are a major public health burden as more than one in three people over 65 years falls per annum. Vitamin D deficiency is common in the elderly due to decreased sunlight exposure, dietary vitamin D intake and efficiency of cutaneous vitamin D production. Vitamin D deficiency causes myopathy, impaired psychomotor function and increased sway thus increasing the risk of falls, whilst supplementation decreases falls. We hypothesized that vitamin D d...

Vitamin D deficiency is a particular concern in pregnancy as it can affect both mother and infant, with problems lasting into childhood. A high prevalence of deficiency during pregnancy has been reported among known risk groups. Current guidelines on supplementing pregnant women are conflicting, with universal replacement recommended by the Department of Health but not supported by NICE guidelines. We aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a West London p...