Abstract
Fractures contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality of postmenopausal women. Among postmenopausal women aged 60 years and older, the mortality-adjusted residual lifetime risk of fracture has been estimated to be 44–65 %. Thus, effective strategies are urgently needed to prevent fractures among postmenopausal women. This review summarizes the available evidence that supports vitamin D3 supplementation at a dose of 800 IU per day as a strategy to reduce falls and fractures, including hip fractures, among postmenopausal women by about 20–30 %. This recommendation is supported by the Position Statement on Vitamin D of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the 2011 World Osteoporosis Day Report, and the US Endocrine Society. Further, this recommendation is supported by the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among postmenopausal women. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (serum levels below 50 nmol/l or 20 ng/ml) among younger and older postmenopausal women has been found to be about 50 % in many countries around the world, with the highest prevalence (80 %) in older women with hip fractures.
Zusammenfassung
Knochenfrakturen tragen in signifikantem Ausmaß zu Morbidität und Mortalität in der Postmenopause bei. Schätzungen des mortalitätsadjustierten Frakturrisikos in der verbleibenden Lebenszeit für Frauen im Alter ≥60 liegen zwischen 44 und 65%. Unbedingt notwendig sind also effektive Präventionsstrategien. Im Review-Beitrag wird die verfügbare Evidenz zur Vitamin-D3-Supplementierung (800 I.E. täglich) für eine 20- bis 30%ige Reduzierung von Sturzereignissen und (Hüft-)Frakturen bei postmenopausalen Frauen zusammengefasst. Diese Empfehlung wird gestützt von Positionspapieren der International Osteoporosis Foundation, des 2011 World Osteoporosis Day Report und der US-amerikanischen Endocrine Society, ferner von der hohen Prävalenz eines Vitamin-D-Mangels bei postmenopausalen Frauen. Die Vitamin-D-Mangel-Prävalenz (Serum-Konzentrationen <50 nmol/l bzw. 20 ng/ml) bei jüngeren wie älteren postmenopausalen Frauen wurde in vielen Ländern weltweit mit etwa 50 % angegeben, am höchsten (80 %) war sie bei älteren Frauen mit Hüftfrakturen.
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Heike Bischoff-Ferrari declares that she has no conflict of interest.
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
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The German version of this article can be found at doi: 10.1007/s00129-015-3723-y.
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Bischoff-Ferrari, H. Vitamin D und postmenopausale Knochengesundheit. Gynäkologe 48 (Suppl 1), 1–6 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00129-015-3727-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00129-015-3727-7