A call for action: standard of care guidelines to assess vitamin D status are needed for patients with hip fracture
Abstract
In this issue of the Journal, Hao et al. (1) report a secondary analysis of a multicenter study on a large cohort of patients who had a hip fracture requiring surgical intervention to determine the influence of vitamin D status and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index on mortality rates and ability to ambulate. They conclude that patients who had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] of ≥ 12 ng/mL had higher rates of self-reported walking at 30 and 60 d postoperatively compared with patients with a 25(OH)D < 12 ng/mL. On the other hand, poor nutritional status was observed to have a marginal effect on reduced mobility at 30 d but not at 60 d. They also found no association of vitamin D status nor nutritional status on mortality at these 2 time points. This editorial begins with a brief summary of previous studies providing insight about the controversy associated with vitamin D supplementation recommendations for improving muscle function. It then discusses the merits of the study by Hao et al. (1) and its health implications not only for elderly with hip fractures but also for all children and adults.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effectiveness of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab on Risk of Vertebral Fractures in Prostate Cancer Patients Under Androgen Deprivation Therapies: A Real-World Prospective Study
- Osteoporosis-related fractures after spinal cord injury: a retrospective study from Brazil
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and mortality in older men
- Lack of Association between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Cardiovascular or Fracture Risk: A UK Biobank Study
- Muscle strength and body composition are clinical indicators of osteoporosis
- Incidence of bone protection and associated fragility injuries in patients with proximal femur fractures
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.