Pm. Byrne et al., VITAMIN-D SUPPLEMENTATION IN THE ELDERLY - REVIEW OF SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT REGIMES, Calcified tissue international, 56(6), 1995, pp. 518-520
Vitamin D deficiency is common in the elderly, especially in countries
where effective sunlight or exposure to sunlight is limited. Two regi
mes for vitamin D supplementation-low-dose daily oral administration a
nd intermittent high-dose administration-were examined with regard to
safety and effectiveness. Eleven papers reporting studies in 449 elder
ly subjects were reviewed. On low-dose continuous supplementation mean
concentration of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) ranged from 57 to 105
nmol/L compared to 55 to 87 nmol/L following high-dose supplementation
. These mean values fall within the physiological range for young adul
ts. Hypercalcemia occurred in only 3 subjects and was associated with
a predisposing cause in 2 of 3 subjects. We suggest that low dose cont
inuous supplementation (10 to 20 mu g daily) is the regime of choice b
ut high-dose intermittent supplementation (2.5 mg six monthly) may be
suitable where compliance is poor.