Vitamin D status of patients with femoral neck fractures.

Thirty-nine patients admitted to hospital with fractures of the neck of the femur had mean serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-(OH)D3) levels markedly lower than that of young healthy controls. There was also a significant seasonal variation in these 25-(OH)D3 levels, values in winter being about half those in summer. It is suggested that vitamin D deficiency plays an an important role in the pathology of old age.