Vitamin D deficiency in Pakistani premenopausal women living in Norway is not associated with evidence of reduced skeletal strength.

In a cross-sectional, age-matched study, vitamin D status and skeletal status were compared between 26 Pakistani premenopausal women living in Oslo and 24 Norwegian women. The serum calcidiol concentration was significantly lower in Pakistani women (mean and 95% confidence interval (CI) 22 (16-27) nmol l-1 vs. 65 (55-74) nmol l-1, p < 0.001) and serum iPTH significantly higher (5.4 (4.1-6.8) pmol l-l vs. 3.4 (3.0-3.7) pmol l-1, p<0.05). No differences concerning bone mineral density (BMD) measured by DXA in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total body or ultrasound parameters of the calcaneus were found between the Pakistani and Norwegian women. The Pakistani women were advised to take vitamin D supplementation, but after 1 year no significant changes were found in serum calcidiol or serum iPTH in 17 Pakistani women. Premenopausal Pakistani women living in Oslo, Norway seem to have increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiency with secondary hyperparathyroidism, but there is no evidence that their skeletal strength differs from that of Norwegian women. Advice on vitamin D supplementation did not result in a normalization of the vitamin D deficiency within 1 year of follow-up.