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Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and risk of falls in Japanese community-dwelling elderly women: a 1-year follow-up study

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Abstract

Summary

The present prospective follow-up study among 1,393 community-dwelling elderly women aged 75 years or older was conducted to clarify the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and risk of falls. Lower serum 25(OH)D, particularly level <20 ng/mL, was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls.

Introduction

Serum 25(OH)D level has been revealed to be important factor not only for skeletal health but also for fall prevention among the elderly. Our previous cross-sectional study indicated that low serum 25(OH)D level is associated with inferior physical performance and falls among elderly Japanese women. The present prospective study was designed to clarify the association between serum 25(OH)D level and risk of falls before and after 1 year of follow-up.

Methods

The community-dwelling elderly women aged 75 years or older (N = 1,393) who participated in a mass health examination were followed 1 year later by a mailed self-administered questionnaire.

Results

Responses were obtained from 1,285 subjects (response rate = 92.2 %). The incidence of falls at baseline and at 1-year follow-up was 18.8 and 24.4 %, respectively. The baseline prevalence of serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL was 35.2 %. Odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals) in the lowest tertile of serum 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL) compared with those in the highest tertile (≥25 ng/mL) were 1.40 (1.01–1.94) for any falls and 1.47 (0.93–2.32) for recurrent falls vs. no falls adjusted for potential risk factors.

Conclusions

Among elderly Japanese women, the lower serum 25(OH)D, particularly level <20 ng/mL, was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Grant-in Aid for Scientific research 20390189 (Director, Takao Suzuki) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research H20-Choujyu-009 (Director, Noriko Yoshimura) from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan.

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Team for Promoting Independence of the Elderly, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan

    Y. Shimizu, H. Kim & H. Yoshida

  2. Department of Functioning Activation, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 35 Gengo, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan

    H. Shimada

  3. Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 35 Gengo, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan

    T. Suzuki

Authors
  1. Y. Shimizu
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  2. H. Kim
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  3. H. Yoshida
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  4. H. Shimada
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  5. T. Suzuki
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Correspondence to Y. Shimizu.

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Shimizu, Y., Kim, H., Yoshida, H. et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and risk of falls in Japanese community-dwelling elderly women: a 1-year follow-up study. Osteoporos Int 26, 2185–2192 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-015-3130-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-015-3130-1

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