Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Egyptian bariatric patients

Background: Obesity is currently a pandemic that continues to increase all over the world. Nutritional disorders are among
the obesity-related adverse events, with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency being the most frequently encountered one.
The aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence of reduced vitamin D levels in Egyptian patients with obesity
who were candidates for bariatric surgery and to assess the relation between these levels and the patients’ characteristics.
Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study that included patients with obesity who were recruited for bariatric
surgery. The patient’s medical files were screened for demographic and clinical data, including data regarding vitamin D
status.
Results: This study included 426 patients who were eligible for the study. The patients’ vitamin D levels ranged from
4 to 50 ng/ml, with a mean of 30.2±13.7 ng/ml. A statistically significant lower mean vitamin D levels were shown in
females (P=0.006), patients with extreme obesity (P=0.021), diabetes mellitus (P=0.014), and polycystic ovary syndrome
(P=0.016). Patients with depression also showed lower mean levels of vitamin D, with marginal statistical significance
(P=0.056).
Conclusion: This study confirms the high prevalence of abnormally low vitamin D levels in patients with obesity who
were candidates for bariatric surgery. The study highlighted differences based on sex and revealed connections between
low vitamin D levels and conditions like type 2 diabetes mellitus, polycystic ovary syndrome, depression, and eligibility
for bypass surgeries.