10/22/2013    

FOOT AND ANKLE RELATED RESEARCH

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Foot and Ankle Injuries 

 

Vitamin D deficiency has been identified as one of the most common causes of fragility fractures and poor fracture healing. Although rates of vitamin D deficiency have been delineated in various orthopedic populations, little is known about the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with foot and ankle disorders. The goal of this study was to identify the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with a low energy fracture of the foot or ankle. 

 

Hypovitaminosis D was common among patients with a foot or ankle injury seen at our institution. Patients with a low energy fracture of the foot or ankle were at particular risk for low vitamin D, especially if they smoked, were obese, or had other medical risk factors. Given that supplementation with vitamin D (+– calcium) has been shown to reduce the risk of fragility fractures and improve fracture healing; monitoring of 25–OH vitamin D, and supplementation should be considered in patients with fractures.

 

Source: Smith JT, et al., Foot & Ankle International via MDLinx [10/16/13]