Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the rate of hypovitaminosis D in psychogeriatric inpatients and explored whether any associations exist between vitamin D levels, cognitive function, and psychiatric diagnoses. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review from November 2000 through November 2010. SETTING: Geriatric psychiatric ward of an academic tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Psychiatric inpatients aged 65 years or older. MEASUREMENTS AND ANALYSIS METHODS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured at admission. Associations between 25(OH)D levels, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were analyzed using Spearman correlations, and psychiatric diagnoses were analyzed using logistic regression models and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: In 141 subjects (mean age, 77.8 years; 86 [61%] female; 135 [96%] white), the most frequent diagnoses were major depressive disorder in 81 patients (57%), dementia in 38 (27%), delirium in 13 (9%), anxiety in 12 (8.5%), and bipolar disorder in 11 (8%). Mean MMSE score was 24±6.4 (range, 3-30). Forty-three subjects (30.4%) had mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D, 10-24 ng/mL], and 6 (4.2%) had severe deficiency [25(OH)D <10 ng/mL]. CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D was common in elderly psychiatric inpatients. No associations were found between vitamin D levels and global cognitive function or psychiatric diagnoses.