PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AMONG THE PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE

Abstract

Objective:

To determine prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among patients presenting with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Methods:

This study employed a cross-sectional design, involving 138 participants aged between 18 and 65 years, inclusive of all genders. All participants had a confirmed diagnosis of CFS persisting for at least four weeks. A sample of three milliliters of blood was collected from each participant for vitamin D testing.  Individuals were classified as vitamin D deficient if their blood vitamin D concentration was below 20 nanograms per milliliter.

Results:

The mean age of patients was 39.5±11.9 years. The mean duration of their illness was 3.4 ± 1.3 months. Male participants numbered 117, comprising about 69.6% of the total patients. Out of 168 patients, 124 (73.81%) had vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusion:

There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients presenting with CFS. Therefore, vitamin D screening should be conducted in all patients with CFS.