Lijecnicki vjesnik 2007;129(8-9)
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN RECEIVING OSTEOPOROSIS THERAPY
Ivana Kraljević, DARKO KAŠTELAN, Irma Goršić, MIRSALA SOLAK, ZLATKO GILJEVIĆ, MARIO KASOVIĆ, Jadranka Sertić, Mirko Koršić
Abstract
The main source of this vitamin is exposure to the sun, while food intake is less important. In the absence of vitamin D, the intestinal absorption of calcium decreases, and thus the level of calcium in the serum, which results in increased secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). The result of secondary hyperparathyroidism is the mobilization of calcium from the bones, a decrease in bone mineral density, and osteoporosis, which, according to recent epidemiological research, affects 16.2% of men and 30.7% of women over the age of 50 in Croatia. 1 The concentration of 25(OH)D in the blood serves as an indicator of vitamin D status in the body. In accordance with these results, we believe that determining the concentration of 25(OH)D is necessary in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with osteoporosis and that the dose of vitamin D should be increased in order to achieve the optimal concentration of 25(OH)D in the blood.