Among US Veterans, Higher Rates of Vitamin D Deficiency in African Americans

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and immune dysregulation are reciprocally linked In turn, associations between Vitamin D deficiency and the course of several infections, including influenza, as well as certain cancers and metabolic conditions have been previously reported African-Americans are known to have a higher prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency than Caucasians We are now analyzing racial differences in 25-OH-D deficiency in US Veterans, who have a more homogeneous access to laboratory testing and Vitamin D supplementation than the general population Methods: The study is based on analysis of electronic medical records In a sample of 2,399,411 Veterans [age (SD)= 62 2(15)} who had at least one blood 25-OH-D result during FY2001-FY2014, the lowest level was seasonally adjusted and analyzed Odds of having a seasonally adjusted blood level of 25-OH-D level <20ng/ml (deficiency) were compared between African-American and other racial groups using logistic regressions with adjustment for gender and age Results: The mean (SD) of 25-OH-D blood level was 22 6(12) African-Americans had higher odds of deficient 25-OH-D than White Veterans (OR 3 44 95% CI 3 40-3 46, p<0 0001), and all other race groups (p<0 0001) Conclusions: Study is limited by not adjusting for BMI/obesity The robust racial-differences identified, if not minimized through treatment and prevention, may lead to racial discrimination through increased morbidity and mortality from certain infections, malignancies, neuropsychiatric and metabolic disease associated with deficient Vitamin D Additional studies are necessary to identify more definitively if racial differences in Vitamin D deficiency could also contribute to the reported higher COVID-19 infection and mortality rates in African-Americans Supported By: Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention Keywords: Vitamin D, African American, Racial Differences, US Veterans