The relationship of Vitamin D levels with disease severity, balance, and falls in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between serum vitamin D levels with disease severity, balance problems and fear of falling in Parkinson’s disease. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study. Participants with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls aged 45-80 years were included in the study. The outcomes of the study were serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels, Hoehn&Yahr Scale, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III, Berg balance scale, Tinetti test, and International Falls Efficacy Scale scores. Results: Seventy-two participants with Parkinson’s disease and sixty healthy controls were included in the study. The mean 25(OH) vitamin D level was 17.8±8.2 ng/ml in the PD group, while it was 22.2±9.7 ng/ml in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in terms of 25(OH) vitamin D levels between the groups (p=0.005). The participants in the PD group were divided into two groups according to the HY scale scores (Early-stage group: Stage 1-2; Advanced-Stage group: Stage 3-4). The mean 25(OH) vitamin D level was 18.6±7.8 ng/ml in the early-stage group, it was 16.5±8.8 ng/ml in the advanced-stage group. No statistically significant differences were identified in both groups (p=0.299). There was no correlation between 25(OH) vitamin D levels, HY stages, BBS, TT, FES-I, and UPDRS-III in PD group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Vitamin D levels were lower in PD than that in healthy controls. However, no significant relationship was found between vitamin D levels and disease severity, balance problem, and fear of falling in PD.