Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
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J. Bone Miner. Res. · Nov 2001
Comparative StudyVitamin D deficiency and bone health in healthy adults in Finland: could this be a concern in other parts of Europe?
A low vitamin D status could be a concern not only in children and the elderly in Europe, but also in adults. We do not know the effect of mild vitamin D deficiency on bone in this age group. The aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [S-25(OH)D] and elevated serum intact parathyroid hormone (S-iPTH) concentrations in healthy young adults in the winter in northern Europe and to characterize the determinants of these variables. ⋯ Low vitamin D status was prevalent in these young adults in northern Europe in winter, although the vitamin D intake met the recommendation. This probably is not a local problem for northern Europe, because the natural sources of vitamin D are scarce and fortification is not very common in Europe, and with the exception of the southern part of Europe, sunshine is not very abundant in this part of the world. Thus, the results of this study indicate that more attention should be focused on vitamin D status and the sources of vitamin D in these countries.
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J. Bone Miner. Res. · Nov 2001
Bone loss in patients with untreated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is mediated by an increase in bone resorption associated with hypercapnia.
This study sought to determine whether the bone loss in untreated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with hypercapnia and/or respiratory acidosis. Bone mineral density (BMD) measured at the distal forearm of the nondominant arm (with peripheral quantitative computed tomography [pQCT]) and serum markers of bone turnover were determined in 71 male patients with untreated COPD and 40 healthy male subjects who matched the patients in age, weight, and body mass index (BMI). The COPD patients, compared with controls, had reduced pulmonary functions, lower arterial pH, and elevated arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) The BMD (in T score) was significantly lower in COPD patients than that in control subjects (-1.628 +/- 0.168 vs. -0.058 +/- 0.157; p < 0.001). ⋯ To evaluate the role of uncompensated respiratory acidosis, COPD patients with hypercapnia were subdivided into those with compensatory respiratory acidosis (pH > or = 7.35; n = 20) and those with uncompensated respiratory acidosis (pH < 7.35; n = 15). The BMD and serum ICTP were not different among the two subgroups. In conclusion, this study presents the first associative evidence that the bone loss in COPD is at least in part attributed to an increased bone resorption that is associated primarily with hypercapnia rather than uncompensated respiratory acidosis.