Vitamin D and spine surgery

Abstract

Vitamin D is crucial for musculoskeletal health, maintenance, and function. Vitamin D insufficiency is common among patients undergoing spine surgery and the ideal vitamin D level for spine surgery has yet to be investigated. There is a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients with musculoskeletal pain regardless of surgical intervention. With the frequency and costs of spine surgery increasing, it is imperative that efforts are continued to reduce the impact on patients and healthcare services. Studies into vitamin D and its associations with orthopaedic surgery have yielded alarming findings with regards to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Importantly, altered vitamin D status also contributes to a wide range of disease conditions. Therefore, future investigations are still essential for better understanding the relationship between vitamin D and spine surgery outcomes. Whilst further research is required to fully elucidate the extent of the effects of hypovitaminosis D has on surgical outcomes, it is strongly advisable to reduce the impacts by appropriate vitamin D supplementation of deficient and at-risk patients.

Keywords: Hypovitaminosis D; Outcome; Prevalence; Spine surgery; Vitamin D

Core tip: A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D plays an essential role in skeletal development, bone remodeling, fracture repair, and muscle strength. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in the elderly and underestimated by spine surgeons. Studies into vitamin D and its associations with orthopaedic surgery have yielded alarming findings with regards to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Importantly, altered vitamin D status also contributes to a wide range of disease conditions and surgical outcome. Therefore, further investigations are still essential for better understanding paradoxical relationship between vitamin D status and spine surgery outcome.