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  • Abstract: Hypoparathyroidism x
  • Abstract: Menopause x
  • Abstract: Vitamin D x
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A Chinoy Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

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M Skae Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

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A Babiker King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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D Kendall Royal Preston Hospital, Preston, UK

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M Z Mughal Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

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R Padidela Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

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Background

Hypoparathyroidism is characterised by hypocalcaemia, and standard management is with an active vitamin D analogue and adequate oral calcium intake (dietary and/or supplements). Little is described in the literature about the impact of intercurrent illnesses on calcium homeostasis in children with hypoparathyroidism.

Methods

We describe three children with hypoparathyroidism in whom intercurrent illnesses led to hypocalcaemia and escalation of treatment with alfacalcidol (1-hydroxycholecalciferol) and calcium supplements.

Results

Three infants managed with standard treatment for hypoparathyroidism (two with homozygous mutations in GCMB2 gene and one with Sanjad-Sakati syndrome) developed symptomatic hypocalcaemia (two infants developed seizures) following respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses. Substantial increases in alfacalcidol doses (up to three times their pre-illness doses) and calcium supplementation were required to achieve acceptable serum calcium concentrations. However, following resolution of illness, these children developed an increase in serum calcium and hypercalciuria, necessitating rapid reduction to pre-illness dosages of alfacalcidol and oral calcium supplementation.

Conclusion

Intercurrent illness may precipitate symptomatic hypocalcaemia in children with hypoparathyroidism, necessitating increase in dosages of alfacalcidol and calcium supplements. Close monitoring is required on resolution of the intercurrent illness, with timely reduction of dosages of active analogues of vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent hypercalcaemia, hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis.

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Guido Zavatta Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

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Bart L Clarke Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

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The first adjunctive hormone therapy for chronic hypoparathyroidism, recombinant human parathyroid hormone (1–84) (rhPTH(1–84)) was approved by the FDA in January 2015. Since the approval of rhPTH(1–84), growing interest has developed in other agents to treat this disorder in both the scientific community and among pharmaceutical companies. For several reasons, conventional therapy with calcium and activated vitamin D supplementation, magnesium supplementation as needed, and occasionally thiazide-type diuretic therapy remains the mainstay of treatment, while endocrinologists and patients are constantly challenged by limitations of conventional treatment. Serum calcium fluctuations, increased urinary calcium, hyperphosphatemia, and a constellation of symptoms that limit mental and physical functioning are frequently associated with conventional therapy. Understanding how conventional treatment and hormone therapy work in terms of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is key to effectively managing chronic hypoparathyroidism. Multiple questions remain regarding the effectiveness of PTH adjunctive therapy in preventing or slowing the onset and progression of the classical complications of hypoparathyroidism, such as chronic kidney disease, calcium-containing kidney stones, cataracts, or basal ganglia calcification. Several studies point toward an improvement in the quality of life during replacement therapy. This review will discuss current clinical and research challenges posed by treatment of chronic hypoparathyroidism.

Key points:

  • Conventional therapy with calcium and activated forms of vitamin D are currently the mainstays of treatment for most patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism.

  • Hormone therapy can be administered through FDA-approved once-daily rhPTH(1–84), or off-label multiple-daily injections of teriparatide. The former is the only FDA-approved drug, with safety and efficacy supported by a randomized placebo-controlled trial and open-label long-term extension trial data.

  • Twice-daily teriparatide has been used in children safely for up to 10 years.

  • New pharmacological options that replace the deficient hormone wi ll likely be available within the next few years.

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Xiaoli Jin Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Jiankang Shen Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Tao Liu Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Ru Zhou Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Xunbo Huang Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Tianxiang Wang Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Weize Wu Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Mingliang Wang Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Rongli Xie Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Jianming Yuan Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

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Objective

The aim was to explore the effects of preoperative calcium and activated vitamin D3 supplementation on post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia and hypo-parathyroid hormone-emia (hypo-PTHemia).

Methods

A total of 209 patients were randomly divided into control group (CG) and experimental group (EG). Oral calcium and activated vitamin D3 supplementation were preoperatively administered to EG, whereas a placebo was administered to CG. Data on serum calcium, phosphorus, and PTH concentrations before operation, on postoperative day 1 (POPD1), at postoperative week 3 (POPW3), and on the length of postoperative hospitalization were collected.

Results

The serum calcium, phosphorus, and PTH concentrations, as well as the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia and hypo-PTHemia, did not significantly differ between EG and CG. Subgroup analysis revealed that the serum calcium concentrations of the experimental bilateral thyroidectomy subgroup (eBTS) on POPD1 and POPW3 were higher than that of the control bilateral thyroidectomy subgroup (cBTS) (P < 0.05); the reduction of serum calcium in eBTS on POPD1 and POPW3 was less than those in cBTS (P < 0.05). However, significant differences were not observed between the unilateral thyroidectomy subgroups (UTS) (P > 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia in cBTS on POPD1 was significantly higher than that in eBTS (65.9% vs 41.7%) (P < 0.05). The length of hospitalization in cBTS (3.55 ± 1.89 days) was significantly longer than that (2.79 ± 1.15 days) in eBTS (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Short-term preoperative prophylactic oral calcium and activated vitamin D3 supplementation could effectively reduce the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia and decrease the length of postoperative hospitalization in patients who have undergone bilateral thyroidectomy.

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Stefan Pilz Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Armin Zittermann Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany

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Christian Trummer Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Verena Theiler-Schwetz Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Elisabeth Lerchbaum Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Martin H Keppel University Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

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Martin R Grübler Department of Cardiology, Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

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Winfried März Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Medical Clinic V (Nephrology, Hypertensiology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Diabetology), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Synlab Medical Center of Human Genetics Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

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Marlene Pandis Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Vitamin D testing and treatment is a subject of controversial scientific discussions, and it is challenging to navigate through the expanding vitamin D literature with heterogeneous and partially opposed opinions and recommendations. In this narrative review, we aim to provide an update on vitamin D guidelines and the current evidence on the role of vitamin D for human health with its subsequent implications for patient care and public health issues. Vitamin D is critical for bone and mineral metabolism, and it is established that vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets and osteomalacia. While many guidelines recommend target serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations of ≥50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL), the minimum consensus in the scientific community is that serum 25(OH)D concentrations below 25–30 nmol/L (10–12 ng/mL) must be prevented and treated. Using this latter threshold of serum 25(OH)D concentrations, it has been documented that there is a high worldwide prevalence of vitamin D deficiency that may require public health actions such as vitamin D food fortification. On the other hand, there is also reason for concern that an exploding rate of vitamin D testing and supplementation increases costs and might potentially be harmful. In the scientific debate on vitamin D, we should consider that nutrient trials differ from drug trials and that apart from the opposed positions regarding indications for vitamin D treatment we still have to better characterize the precise role of vitamin D for human health.

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Rasmus Reinke Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Stefano Christian Londero Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Martin Almquist Department of Surgery, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

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Lars Rejnmark Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Lars Rolighed Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Objective

Total thyroidectomy is associated with a high risk of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, mainly due to the unintended surgical damage to the parathyroid glands or their blood supply. It is possible that surgeons who also perform parathyroid surgery see lower rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism. In a single institution, we investigated the effects of restricting total thyroidectomy operations for Graves’ disease to two surgeons who performed both thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. We aimed to evaluate the rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism in a 10-year period with primary attention toward patients with Graves’ disease.

Design

Retrospective cohort study from a single institution.

Methods

We defined the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy as the need for active vitamin D 6 months postoperatively. Between 2012 and 2016, seven surgeons performed all thyroidectomies. From January 2017, only surgeons also performing parathyroid surgery carried out thyroidectomies for Graves’ disease.

Results

We performed total thyroidectomy in 543 patients. The rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 28% in 2012–2014 to 6% in 2020–2021. For patients with Graves’ disease, the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 36% (13 out of 36) in 2015–2016 to 2% (1 out of 56) in 2020–2021. In cancer patients, the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 30% (14 out of 46) in 2012–2014 to 10% (10 out of 51) in 2020–2021.

Conclusion

Restricting thyroidectomy to surgeons who also performed parathyroid operations reduced postoperative hypoparathyroidism markedly. Accordingly, we recommend centralisation of the most difficult thyroid operations to centres and surgeons with extensive experience in parathyroid surgery.

Significance statement

Thyroid surgery is performed by many different surgeons with marked differences in outcome. Indeed, the risk of postoperative permanent hypoparathyroidism may be very high in low-volume centres. This serious condition affects the quality of life and increases long-term morbidity and the patients develop a life-long dependency of medical treatments. We encountered a high risk of hypoparathyroidism after the operation for Graves’ disease and restricted the number of surgeons to two for these operations. Further, these surgeons were experienced in both thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. We show a dramatic reduction in postoperative hypoparathyroidism after this change. Accordingly, we recommend centralisation of total thyroidectomy to surgeons with experience in both thyroid and parathyroid procedures.

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Jean-Philippe Bertocchio Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Service de Physiologie, Paris, France
Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Paris, France
Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, INSERM, UMRS1138, Paris, France

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Natalie Grosset Hypoparathyroïdisme France, Annecy, France

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Lionel Groussin Department of Endocrinology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, Université de Paris, Paris, France

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Peter Kamenický Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm U1185, Physiologie et Physiopathologie Endocriniennes, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bicêtre, Service d’Endocrinologie et des Maladies de la Reproduction, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Métabolisme du Calcium et du Phosphate, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France

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Fabrice Larceneux Université Paris-Dauphine, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 7088, DRM [Ermes], Paris, France

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Anne Lienhardt-Roussie CHU Dupuytren, Hôpital Mère Enfant, Endocrinologie Pédiatrique, Limoges, France

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Agnès Linglart Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Paris, France
Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm U1185, Physiologie et Physiopathologie Endocriniennes, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service d’Endocrinologie et Diabète de l’Enfant, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore et Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Hôpital Bicêtre Paris Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France

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Gérard Maruani Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Service de Physiologie, Paris, France
Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Paris, France
Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, INSERM U1151 – CNRS UMR 8253, Paris, France

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Eric Mirallie Chirurgie Cancérologique, Digestive et Endocrine, Institut des Maladies de l’Appareil Digestif, Hôtel Dieu, CHU Nantes, France
Association Francophone de Chirurgie Endocrinienne (AFCE), France

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François Pattou Université de Lille, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur Lille, Inserm U1190, Lille, France

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Riyad N H Seervai Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program, Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

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Coralie Sido Hypoparathyroïdisme France, Annecy, France

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Caroline Silve Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Paris, France
Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaires, Paris, France
INSERM, U1169, Université Paris Sud, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France

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Aurélie Vilfaillot Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Unité de Recherche Clinique, Paris, France
INSERM, U1418, CIC-EC, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

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Antoine Tabarin Service Endocrinologie Diabète et Nutrition, CHU de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France

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Marie-Christine Vantyghem CHU Lille, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Inserm U1190, EGID, Lille, France

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Pascal Houillier Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Service de Physiologie, Paris, France
Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares du Calcium et du Phosphore Filière de Santé Maladies Rares OSCAR, Paris, France
Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, INSERM, UMRS1138, Paris, France
CNRS, ERL8228, Paris, France

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the investigators of the Épi-Hypo study
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the investigators of the Épi-Hypo study

Context

Recent guidelines have provided recommendations for the care of patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism. Very little is known about actual physicians’ practices or their adherence to such guidelines.

Objective

To describe the physicians’ practice patterns and their compliance with international guidelines.

Design

The cohort studies included were Épi-Hypo (118 physicians and 107 patients, from September 2016 to December 2019) and ePatients (110 patients, November 2019).

Methods

Internet-based cohorts involving all settings at a nationwide level (France). Participants were (i) physicians treating patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism and patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism either participating in the (ii) Épi-Hypo study (Épi-Hypo 2019 patients), or (iii) Hypoparathyroidism France, the national representative association (ePatients).

Results

The physicians’ specialties were mainly endocrinology (61%), nephrology (28%), family medicine (2.5%), pediatrics (2.5%), rheumatology (2%), or miscellaneous (4%) and 45% were practicing in public universities. The median number of pharmaceutical drug classes prescribed was three per patient. The combination of active vitamin D and calcium salt was given to 59 and 58% of ePatients and Épi-Hypo 2019 patients, respectively. Eighty-five percent of ePatients and 87% of physicians reported monitoring plasma calcium concentrations at a steady state at least twice a year. In 32 and 26% of cases, respectively, ePatients and physicians reported being fully in accordance with international guidelines that recommend targeting symptoms, plasma calcium and phosphate values, and urine calcium excretion.

Conclusions

The care of patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism involves physicians with very different practices, so guidelines should include and target other specialists as well as endocrinologists. Full adherence to the guidelines is low in France.

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Glenville Jones Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

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Vitamin D has many physiological functions including upregulation of intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, mobilization of bone resorption, renal reabsorption of calcium as well as actions on a variety of pleiotropic functions. It is believed that many of the hormonal effects of vitamin D involve a 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-vitamin D receptor-mediated transcriptional mechanism involving binding to the cellular chromatin and regulating hundreds of genes in many tissues. This comprehensive historical review provides a unique perspective of the many steps of the discovery of vitamin D and its deficiency disease, rickets, stretching from 1650 until the present. The overview is divided into four distinct historical phases which cover the major developments in the field and in the process highlighting the: (a) first recognition of rickets or vitamin D deficiency; (b) discovery of the nutritional factor, vitamin D and its chemical structure; (c) elucidation of vitamin D metabolites including the hormonal form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3; (d) delineation of the vitamin D cellular machinery, functions and vitamin D-related diseases which focused on understanding the mechanism of action of vitamin D in its many target cells.

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Christian Trummer Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Stefan Pilz Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Verena Schwetz Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Barbara Obermayer-Pietsch Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Elisabeth Lerchbaum Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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Background

Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests that vitamin D is involved in many functions of the reproductive system in both genders.

Aim

The aim of this review was to provide an overview on the effects of vitamin D on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women and androgen metabolism in men.

Methods

We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed for relevant English language publications published from January 2012 until September 2017.

Results and discussion

The vitamin D receptor and vitamin D-metabolizing enzymes are found in reproductive tissues of women and men. In women, vitamin D status has been associated with several features of PCOS. In detail, cross-sectional data suggest a regulatory role of vitamin D in PCOS-related aspects such as ovulatory dysfunction, insulin resistance as well as hyperandrogenism. Moreover, results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial for metabolic, endocrine and fertility aspects in PCOS. In men, vitamin D status has been associated with androgen levels and hypogonadism. Further, there is some evidence for a favorable effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone concentrations, although others failed to show a significant effect on testosterone levels.

Conclusion

In summary, vitamin D deficiency is associated with adverse fertility outcomes including PCOS and hypogonadism, but the evidence is insufficient to establish causality. High-quality RCTs are needed to further evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation in PCOS women as well as on androgen levels in men.

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Barbara J Boucher Blizard Institute, Barts & The London school of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

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Our knowledge of vitamin D has come a long way since the 100 years it took for doctors to accept, between 1860 and 1890, that both sunlight and cod liver oil (a well-known folk remedy) cured and prevented rickets. Vitamins D2/D3 were discovered exactly a hundred years ago, and over the last 50 years vitamin D has been found to have many effects on virtually all human tissues and not just on bone health, while mechanisms affecting the actions of vitamin D at the cellular level are increasingly understood, but deficiency persists globally. Observational studies in humans have shown that better provision of vitamin D is strongly associated, dose-wise, with reductions in current and future health risks in line with the known actions of vitamin D. Randomised controlled trials, commonly accepted as providing a ‘gold standard’ for assessing the efficacy of new forms of treatment, have frequently failed to provide supportive evidence for the expected health benefits of supplementation. Such RCTs, however, have used designs evolved for testing drugs while vitamin D is a nutrient; the appreciation of this difference is critical to identifying health benefits from existing RCT data and for improving future RCT design. This report aims, therefore, to provide a brief overview of the evidence for a range of non-bony health benefits of vitamin D repletion; to discuss specific aspects of vitamin D biology that can confound RCT design and how to allow for them.

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Marcela Moraes Mendes Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Life Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

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Patricia Borges Botelho Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil

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Helena Ribeiro Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

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Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, promotes maintenance of muscle function, and is crucial for musculoskeletal health. Low vitamin D status triggers secondary hyperparathyroidism, increases bone loss, and leads to muscle weakness. The primary physiologic function of vitamin D and its metabolites is maintaining calcium homeostasis for metabolic functioning, signal transduction, and neuromuscular activity. A considerable amount of human evidence supports the well-recognised contribution of adequate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations for bone homeostasis maintenance and prevention and treatment strategies for osteoporosis when combined with adequate calcium intake. This paper aimed to review the literature published, mainly in the last 20 years, on the effect of vitamin D and its supplementation for musculoskeletal health in order to identify the aspects that remain unclear or controversial and therefore require further investigation and debate. There is a clear need for consistent data to establish realistic and meaningful recommendations of vitamin D status that consider different population groups and locations. Moreover, there is still a lack of consensus on thresholds for vitamin D deficiency and optimal status as well as toxicity, optimal intake of vitamin D, vitamin D supplement alone as a strategy to prevent fractures and falls, recommended sun exposure at different latitudes and for different skin pigmentations, and the extra skeletal effects of vitamin D.

Open access