The Relationship between Vitamin D Levels and Blood Glucose and Cholesterol Levels.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic proportions globally. Observational data link low vitamin D status to diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, but interventional trials on the effects of supplementation are limited. OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and metabolic markers in Saudi adults. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed the clinical records of 476 patients from Saudi Arabia, aged 15-78 years. According to 25(OH)D levels, participants were stratified as vitamin D-sufficient (≥30 ng/mL), -insufficient (21-29 ng/mL), or -deficient (≤20 ng/mL). The outcomes were diabetic status (fasting glucose, HbA1c) and lipid panel results. RESULTS: Higher diabetes prevalence was significantly associated with lower 25(OH)D levels (10.1% in the sufficient group, 11.6% in the insufficient group, and 18.3% in the deficient group). Similarly, worse lipid profiles were associated with more severe hypovitaminosis D, including a total cholesterol level of ≥240 mg/dL (5.3% in participants with normal vitamin D levels vs. 18.9% in those with deficient levels) and LDL ≥ 160 mg/dL (6.9% in participants with normal vitamin D levels vs. 13.2% in those with deficient levels). Vitamin D deficiency disproportionately affected women and adults > 45 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is endemic in Saudi Arabia and strongly linked to worsened metabolic markers. Optimizing vitamin D status through screening and correcting the deficiency may provide a cost-effective approach to confronting the regional diabetes epidemic and reducing cardiovascular disease risk.

Impact of Sickle Cell Disease on Academic Performance: A Cross Sectional Study.

Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a multisystemic disease that results in diverse clinical manifestations in the form of acute and chronic complications. This study aims to assess the academic achievements of patients with SCD. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study was a study conducted among adult patients with SCD from the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where SCD is more widespread than in other regions. Results: A total of ninety patients with SCD, whose median age was 32.33 ± 11.84, were retrospectively evaluated. Of the total number, 32 (35.5%) did not obtain a secondary higher education certificate, and five (3.3%) were illiterate. Sixty-three (70%) of the patients were female, indicating no significant association between gender and education level (p-value > 0.05). The patients' mean annual hospitalizations and emergency visits totaling 4.7 and 8.43, respectively, were not significantly associated with education (p-value > 0.05). Throughout the patients' lives, mean blood transfusions and ICU admissions occurred 6.29 and 2.75 times, respectively, which were not significantly associated with education level (p-value > 0.05). However, education was inversely proportional to a history of splenectomy and cholecystectomy (p < 0.05). Laboratory parameters (hemoglobin level, WBC, platelets, and hemoglobin F) showed no significant associations with education level (p-value > 0.05). Patients with sickle-thalassemia exhibited a trend of being better-educated than those without the diseases, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p-value > 0.05). A linear regression analysis revealed no significant associations among clinical and laboratory parameters. Conclusion: SCD is a multisystemic disease that impacts socioeconomic status, learning ability, and academic achievements. More research is needed to identify factors that predict poor performance. Additionally, intelligence quotient (IQ) and cognitive assessment should be incorporated into early screening programs for SCD in order to implement preventive measures and a thorough investigation of underlying causes.