Serum Vitamin D Levels in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients Living in the Northwestern United States

Objective: To determine the incidence of vitamin D deficiency in orthopaedic trauma patients undergoing fracture surgery living in the Northwest United States.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Level 2 trauma center.

Patients: Two cohorts of patients undergoing fracture repair surgery during a 3-month period in winter and summer had serum vitamin D levels drawn at the time of surgery. One hundred three patients were reviewed in the winter cohort and 98 in the summer cohort.

Main Outcome Measure: Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels of patients undergoing fracture repair surgery.

Results: Normal levels of vitamin D were considered to be between 32 and 80 ng/mL. Most patients in both cohorts were vitamin D insufficient. The average level for the winter cohort was 26.4 ng/mL, which was significantly lower than the average level for the summer cohort, 29.8 ng/mL (P = 0.03).

Conclusions: A high incidence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency likely exists across all age groups in orthopaedic trauma patients living in the Northwest United States and regions with similarly northern latitude. Further study is required to confirm improved fracture healing with normalization of serum vitamin D levels.

Level Of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.