Vitamin D status among the population visiting Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Bhutan

Objective: To study the vitamin D status among the Bhutanese population visiting the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Bhutan. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study involving the extraction of data from a hospital database. Records of Bhutanese p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guru P Dhakal, Krishna P Sharma, Gyan P Bajgai, Tulsi R Sharma, Tika M Bajgai, Jigme Tenzin, Baehat Dhakal, Vishal Chhetri, Hari P Pokhrel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism
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Online Access:http://www.ijem.in/article.asp?issn=2230-8210;year=2023;volume=27;issue=5;spage=436;epage=439;aulast=Dhakal
Description
Summary:Objective: To study the vitamin D status among the Bhutanese population visiting the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Bhutan. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study involving the extraction of data from a hospital database. Records of Bhutanese patients who had taken vitamin D tests in the last two years (2020–2021) were included in the study. Result: A total of 1175 individuals took the vitamin D test during the study period, and the age ranged between 1 day and 94 years. Over 60% of the participants were females. The study found that over 83% of our study population had serum vitamin D levels lower than the normal range/deficient. Around 18% of the participants had severe deficiency. Conclusion: The study found that most participants, including children, had vitamin D deficiency, and the finding was homogenous across gender and age groups. Further studies are required to validate these findings and identify the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in the population for targeted public health interventions.
ISSN:2230-8210