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Prevalence and determinants of vitamin D deficiency in healthy French adults: the VARIETE study

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Abstract

The U.S. Institute of Medicine considers that a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration >20 ng/mL corresponds to optimal vitamin D status in the general population. Old studies of vitamin D status in the French general population have demonstrated high prevalence of insufficiency. We measured serum 25OHD, 1,25(OH)2D, PTH, calcium, phosphorus, and creatinine levels in 892 French Caucasian healthy subjects (463 men, 429 women) aged from 18 to 89 years. The 25OHD concentration was similar in men (24.1 ± 8.2 ng/mL) and women (23.4 ± 8.0 ng/mL). 25OHD concentrations of <10, <12, <20, and <30 ng/mL were found in respectively 6.3, 9.9, 34.6, and 80.3 % of subjects. Residence in northern France (odds ratio [OR] 1.91), blood sampling between January and March (OR 7.74), BMI ≥24 kg/m2 (OR 1.81), and age 60 years or more (OR 1.99) were significant determinants of hypovitaminosis D (25OHD <20 ng/mL). The serum 25OHD level correlated positively with 1,25(OH)2D and negatively with PTH. 25OHD values below 20 ng/mL were associated with lower 1,25(OH)2D levels, and 25OHD values below 27 ng/mL were associated with higher PTH levels. Many French healthy adults have a 25OHD concentration <20 ng/mL, especially during winter months. Actions to improve the vitamin D status of the French general population are urgently needed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank DiaSorin for its kind donation of the PTH, 1,25(OH)2D, and 25OHD assay kits. We thank the physicians and technicians of the clinical research units that recruited and examined the healthy subjects, and/or collected data.

Funding

This research was supported by a Grant from Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, French Ministry of Health, No. P081216/IDRCB 2009-A00892-55.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service des explorations fonctionnelles, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants malades, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France

    Jean-Claude Souberbielle

  2. Laboratoire d’Hormonologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France

    Catherine Massart

  3. Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94275, France

    Sylvie Brailly-Tabard

  4. Univ Paris-Sud, UMR S1185, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94276, France

    Sylvie Brailly-Tabard & Philippe Chanson

  5. INSERM U1185, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94276, France

    Sylvie Brailly-Tabard & Philippe Chanson

  6. Clinical Chemistry Department, Sart Tilman University Hospital, Liège, Belgium

    Etienne Cavalier

  7. Hôpital de Bicêtre, Service d’Endocrinologie et des Maladies de la Reproduction and Centre de Référence des Maladies Endocriniennes Rares de la Croissance, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94275, France

    Philippe Chanson

  8. Laboratoire des explorations fonctionnelles, Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, 149 Rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France

    Jean-Claude Souberbielle

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  1. Jean-Claude Souberbielle
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  2. Catherine Massart
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  4. Etienne Cavalier
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Correspondence to Jean-Claude Souberbielle.

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Conflicts of interest

JCS reports lecture fees and/or travel/hotel expenses from DiaSorin, Roche Diagnostics, Abbott, Amgen, Shire, MSD, Lilly, and Rottapharm; CM reports lecture fees and travel/hotel expenses from DiaSorin; EC is a consultant for IDS and DiaSorin and has received lecture fees from IDS, DiaSorin, Roche, Abbott, and Amgen; SBT and PC have nothing to disclose.

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Souberbielle, JC., Massart, C., Brailly-Tabard, S. et al. Prevalence and determinants of vitamin D deficiency in healthy French adults: the VARIETE study. Endocrine 53, 543–550 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-016-0960-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-016-0960-3

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