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The Global Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Elderly: A Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Background

Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent among the elderly, posing significant health risks. This study aims to determine the global prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the elderly.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, examining databases including Scientific Information Database (SID), Medline (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar until January 2023. The publication bias of the studies was assessed using the I2 test of heterogeneity and the Egger test.

Results

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, defined as levels below 20 ng or 50 nmol was found to be 59.7% (95% CI 45.9–72.1). Furthermore, a review of six studies involving 6748 elderly individuals showed a prevalence of 27.5% (95% CI 21.8–34.1) for deficiency defined between 20 and 30 ng or 50–75 nmol. Additionally, a meta-analysis of seven studies with a sample size of 6918 elderly individuals reported a prevalence of 16% (95% CI 10.2–24.1) for deficiency defined above 30 nmol or 75 nmol.

Conclusion

The results of the present study reveal that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the elderly is high and requires the attention of health policymakers at the World Health Organization to prioritize extensive information dissemination and screening to mitigate the adverse effects on their quality of life.

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Availability of Data and Materials

Datasets are available through the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study is the result of research project No. 401000025 approved by the Student Research Committee of Gerash University of Medical Sciences. We would like to thank the esteemed officials of the center for the financial affords of this study.

Funding

By Deputy for Research and Technology, Gerash University of Medical Sciences (IR) (401000025). This deputy had no role in the study process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Student Research Committee, Gerash University of Medical Sciences, Gerash, Iran

    Ahmad Meshkin & Fatemeh Badiee

  2. Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Nader Salari

  3. Department of Strategy and Operations Management, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Masoud Hassanabadi

  4. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Gerash University of Medical Sciences, Gerash, Iran

    Ali Asghar Khaleghi & Masoud Mohammadi

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  1. Ahmad Meshkin
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Contributions

MM, AM, and FB contributed to the design. MM did statistical analysis and participated in most of the study steps. AH and MM prepared the manuscript. AAK and MM assisted in designing the study and helped in the interpretation of the study. All authors have read and approved the content of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Masoud Mohammadi.

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Ethics approval was received from the Ethics Committee of the Deputy of Research and Technology, Gerash University of Medical Sciences (401000025).

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Meshkin, A., Badiee, F., Salari, N. et al. The Global Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Elderly: A Meta-analysis. JOIO 58, 223–230 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-023-01089-w

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