Prevalence of 25-OH-Vitamin D and Calcium Deficiency in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Abstract

Several etiologies have been proposed as a basis and evolution theory for the development of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, but limited data were published until now that link vitamin D and calcium deficiency to this condition. The present study aims to evaluate the relationship between 25-OH-Vitamin D, total calcium, and the following data: Cobb angle, age, and patient sex. The seasonal variation for vitamin D will also be taken into consideration. A total of 101 patients with a mean age of 11.61 ± 2.33 years had vitamin D and calcium levels tested. The mean Cobb angle was 26.21o ± 12.37. The level of vitamin D was, on average, 24 ng/mL ± 9.64. Calcium values were within the normal range, with an average of 9.82 mg/dL ± 0.42. The male group showed lower levels of vitamin D compared to the female group (19.6 vs. 25.45 ng/mL) (p = 0.02). Seasonal variations showed significant differences for vitamin D (p=.0001). Vitamin D level was positively correlated with the calcium level (p=0.01, r=0.973), but also with the patient�s age (p <0.001, r=0.158). The Cobb angle was negatively correlated with serum vitamin D levels (p<0.01, r=-0.472). Patients included in this study had low vitamin D levels, significant differences being observed between boys and girls, boys being more affected. The positive correlation between vitamin D and calcium, together with the negative correlation with the Cobb angle, is yet another proof that patients with idiopathic scoliosis should be investigated regularly for these pathologies.