Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2008 , Vol 11, Issue 2
THE EFFECT OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION ON BALANCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER WOMEN
1 Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Aile Hekimliği Anabilim Dalı, HATAY
2 Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, HATAY
Introduction: In this study it was aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on balance and quality of life in older women.

Materials and Method: Female patients older than 60 years were enrolled. Participants' fall risk was assessed using The Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (TPOMA) and, health status using Short Form Health Survey(SF-36). Active vitamin D supplementation was described as usage of calcitriol:0.25-0.50mcg/daily or alfacalcidol:0.5-1mcg/daily, and vitamin D was described as usage of cholecalciferol:800IU/daily.

Results: Of 180 patients 28 (15.6%) were using active vitamin D when 47(26.1%) were using vitamin D. One hundred and five patients (58.3%) received no vitamin D supplementation. There was no statistically significant difference between three groups according to age, body mass index(BMI), Physical Component Score(PCS), Mental Component Score(MCS), TPOMA total score, category of TPOMA, and presence of balance disorder. Of all patients 75(41.7%) were using either active vitamin D or vitamin D. There was also no significant difference between vitamin D users and the rest of the study patients according to age, BMI, PCS, MCS, TPOMA total score, category of TPOMA, and presence of balance disorder.

Conclusion: We found no association between vitamin D supplementation and balance and quality of life in older women adults. Further studies are necessary to investigate the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and these parameters. Keywords : Vitamin D, Balance, Quality of life, Aged, Female