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Grootjans-Geerts I: [Hypovitaminosis D: a veiled diagnosis] . Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2001 Oct 27;145(43):2057-60.
Four cases of hypovitaminosis D were seen in a general practitioner's population in the Netherlands: a Somalian veiled woman aged 53 and her 11-year-old daughter, a dark-skinned Surinam woman aged 31, and a veiled Moroccan woman aged 56 years. This cause of myopathy has only been recently recognised and is more prevalent than often thought, especially in high-risk groups such as veiled and dark-skinned immigrants who lack sunlight in the Netherlands. Symptoms are muscle pain and mainly proximal muscle weakness resulting in difficulties in ascending a staircase or getting up out of a chair. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a detailed history and measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Calcium and serum alkaline phosphatase activity may be normal. Treatment with ergocalciferol is effective and cheap. As diagnosis and treatment are relatively simple, finding and treating hypovitaminosis D is a rewarding challenge to primary health care practitioners in the Netherlands. |
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