RESUMEN
Background: Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent among the elderly, posing significant health risks. This study aims to determine the global prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the elderly. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, examining databases including Scientific Information Database (SID), Medline (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar until January 2023. The publication bias of the studies was assessed using the I2 test of heterogeneity and the Egger test. Results: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, defined as levels below 20 ng or 50 nmol was found to be 59.7% (95% CI 45.9-72.1). Furthermore, a review of six studies involving 6748 elderly individuals showed a prevalence of 27.5% (95% CI 21.8-34.1) for deficiency defined between 20 and 30 ng or 50-75 nmol. Additionally, a meta-analysis of seven studies with a sample size of 6918 elderly individuals reported a prevalence of 16% (95% CI 10.2-24.1) for deficiency defined above 30 nmol or 75 nmol. Conclusion: The results of the present study reveal that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the elderly is high and requires the attention of health policymakers at the World Health Organization to prioritize extensive information dissemination and screening to mitigate the adverse effects on their quality of life. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-023-01089-w.
RESUMEN
AIM: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by vascular and fibrosing involvement of the skin and internal organs. In this study, we determined the prevalence and characteristics of radiological hands and feet involvements in Iranian SSc patients to identify the associations between clinical features and radiologic findings. METHODS: 43 SSc patients (41 women and 2 men), with a median age of 44.8 years (ranges 26-70 years) and a mean disease duration of 11.8 years (ranges 2-28 years) were studied in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: 42 patients had radiological changes both in their hands and feet. Only one patient had alteration just in hand. The most frequent changes that we found in hand were Juxta-articular Osteoporosis (93%), Acro-osteolysis (58.2%), and Joint Space Narrowing (55.8%). The prevalence of joint space narrowing or acro-osteolysis was higher in subjects with active skin involvement [modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) > 14] [16/21 vs. 4/16 for patients with inactive skin involvement (mRSS < 14); p = 0.002]. The most frequent changes that we found in the foot were Juxta-articular Osteoporosis (93%), Acro-osteolysis (46.5%), Joint Space Narrowing (58.1%), and subluxation (44.2%). The presence of anti-ccp antibody was detected in 4 (9.3%), while positive rheumatoid factor was found in 13 (30.2%) of SSc patients. CONCLUSION: This study corroborates that arthropathy is common in SSc patients. The introduction of the specific radiological involvements of SSc needs to be confirmed by further studies, in order to define the appropriate prognosis and treatment of patients.
