Methods

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a pervasive problem. We were interested in comparing vitamin D levels and associated characteristics of 2 different patient populations from the same immediate urban environment, one HIV-infected and the other uninfected. Methods: Charts were retrospectively reviewed and data abstracted for HIV-infected patients from a hospital-based HIV clinic and HIV-negative patients from a nearby private practice. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25 (OH) D < 30 ng/ml. Results: Ninety percent of the 133 HIV-infected patients and 56 % of the 104 HIV-uninfected patients were vitamin D deficient (p<0.0001). Vitamin D deficiency was not associated with age, gender or BMI in either group. In the HIV cohort vitamin D deficiency was associated with Efavirenz use (p=0.015) but not with other antiretrovirals, Race/Ethnicity, viral suppression or CD4 count. Conclusion: In light of the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, routine testing of vitamin D levels should be considered for all patients and particularly for those who are HIV-infected