vitamin-d-2 and Muscle-Weakness

Four cases of hypovitaminosis D were seen in a general practitioner's population in the Netherlands: a Somalian veiled woman aged 53 and her 11-year-old daughter, a dark-skinned Surinam woman aged 31, and a veiled Moroccan woman aged 56 years. This cause of myopathy has only been recently recognised and is more prevalent than often thought, especially in high-risk groups such as veiled and dark-skinned immigrants who lack sunlight in the Netherlands. Symptoms are muscle pain and mainly proximal muscle weakness resulting in difficulties in ascending a staircase or getting up out of a chair. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a detailed history and measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Calcium and serum alkaline phosphatase activity may be normal. Treatment with ergocalciferol is effective and cheap. As diagnosis and treatment are relatively simple, finding and treating hypovitaminosis D is a rewarding challenge to primary health care practitioners in the Netherlands.

Topics: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2; Adult; Child; Cultural Characteristics; Ergocalciferols; Female; Humans; Life Style; Middle Aged; Morocco; Muscle Weakness; Muscular Diseases; Netherlands; Pain; Risk Factors; Skin Pigmentation; Somalia; Suriname; Vitamin D Deficiency

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged, 80 and over; Calcium; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ergocalciferols; Female; Humans; Muscle Weakness; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin D Deficiency