Serum Vitamin D Levels and Bone Health of Patients Suffering from Early Knee Osteoarthritis

Introduction Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of impaired bone health. However, it has not been seriously implicated in knee osteoarthritis (OA), the prevalence of which has been observed to rise in India. Hence, present study aimed at assessment of vitamin D status and bone mass density of early knee OA patients. Methods Fifty patients of early knee OA were selected from K. J. Somaiya Hospital and Research centre using purposive sampling technique and were classified into grades I and II as per the Kellgren-Lawrence classification. They were assessed for bone mineral density (BMD), serum vitamin D levels, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) status. Data was analysed using SPSS 16.0. Results 89 % of the participants were observed to have low serum vitamin D levels that were positively correlated with BMD, serum calcium, phosphorus and ALP levels. Vitamin D deficiency was more severe among grade II knee OA patients. Conclusions Deficiency of Vitamin D might contribute to progressive degeneration of cartilage in early knee OA by affecting the BMD. Hence, maintenance of optimum Vitamin D status is crucial in knee osteoarthritis to prevent bone deterioration and slower disease progression.