Vitamin D Level among Sample of Basra People

Vitamin D is a group of fat soluble seco-sterols which is found naturally only in a few foods, such as fish, mushrooms, liver oils, fatty fish, egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin D is photosynthesized in the skin of vertebrates by the action of solar ultraviolet (UV) B radiation on 7-dehydrocholesterol. There are many forms of vitamin D ,among all vitamin D forms there are two forms with physiological activity vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol); Plant sterol and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol); Animal sterol. The aim of the study is to evaluate the serum level of Vitamin D in a sample of people in Basra province south of Iraq. A prospective analysis of data done at AL-Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basrah over a period of one month. Total of 252 patient involved in the study, there were 204 females (81%)and 48 males (19%).the Mean age was (34.5), range (1-75), there were 35 patients below age of 20years,122 in the group between 20-40 years and 95 in the group of above 40 years. The majority of patients have inadequate values either deficient 35% (below 12ng/mL) or insufficient 48% (12-.30ng/mL). This is more prominent in females than in males. Only 17% of patients have normal serum level of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency or inadequacy is found to be prevalent among this sample of Basrah people and may reflect the state of vitamin D among Basra population.