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Vitamin D levels and comorbidities in ambulatory and hospitalized patients in Austria

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Summary

Vitamin D in its hormonal active form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol), has a major impact on bone turnover by regulating calcium and phosphate homoeostasis. By binding the active vitamin D hormone to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), it acts as a nuclear transcription factor (Bouillon et al., Endocr Rev 29(6):726–776, 2008). The discovery that almost all tissues and cells in the body express the VDR and that several tissues possess the enzymatic capability to convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)-D3; cholecalciferol) to the active form, suggests that vitamin D fulfills various extra-osseous functions (Bouillon et al., Endocr Rev 29(6):726–776, 2008; Holick, N Engl J Med 357(3):266–281, 2007). For example, VDR ensures adequate intestinal calcium absorption by regulating the synthesis of several calcium transport proteins in the duodenum (Bouillon et al., Endocr Rev 29(6):726–776, 2008). Additionally, vitamin D is important for proper muscle function, and some studies suggest it may contribute to prevent type 1 diabetes mellitus, certain autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and several types of cancer (Holick, N Engl J Med 357(3):266–281, 2007).

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Acknowledgments

The authors cordially thank Mr. Wolfgang Sischka for the electronic extraction of all laboratory data.

Conflict of interest

This investigator initiated study was supported by an independent research grant from Kwizda Pharma Austria. Kwizda Pharma was not involved in the study design or had any admission to patient-related data and findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Vincent Hospital, Medical Department II, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Medical University of Vienna, Stumpergasse 13, 1060, Vienna, Austria

    Christian Muschitz MD, Roland Kocijan MD & Heinrich Resch MD

  2. Department of Controlling and Medical Statistics, St. Vincent Hospital Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Verena Stütz MSc

  3. Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Alexandra Kaider MSc

  4. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Gabriela Katharina Muschitz MD, PhD

  5. Labcon—Medical Laboratories Ltd., St. Vincent Group, Vienna, Austria

    Stylianos Kapiotis MD

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  1. Christian Muschitz MD
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Correspondence to Christian Muschitz MD.

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Muschitz, C., Kocijan, R., Stütz, V. et al. Vitamin D levels and comorbidities in ambulatory and hospitalized patients in Austria. Wien Klin Wochenschr 127, 675–684 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-015-0824-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-015-0824-5

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