| Objective To explore the relationship between vitamin D level and quality of life in middle-aged and elderly women in Guangzhou community. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted on 1199 women aged over 45 in Guangzhou community to understand their basic data (including age, height, waistline, hipline, history of falls, etc). The quality of life was evaluated with the EQ-5D scale. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L1~4) and the left proximal femur was detected using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Calcium, 25-hydroxy vitamin D 25(OH)D, osteocalcin (OC), type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide (PINP), beta type I collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (b-CTX), and the muscle strength of the upper and lower limbs were measured. According to the 25 (OH) D level, the subjects were divided into 3 groups for statistical analysis. Results The mean level of serum 25 (OH) D was (26.8±6.5) ng/mL. Among them, vitamin D deficiency accounted for 12.8%, vitamin D insufficiency accounted for 59%, and vitamin D sufficiency accounted for 28.3% only. Compared with vitamin D deficiency group, there were significant differences in the sitting test time, hip BMD, and β-CTX in the insufficient and the sufficient group (P <0.05), but there was no significant difference between the insufficient and the sufficient group (P >0.05). The incidence of falls was 20.3%, 21.3%, and 23.5% in vitamin adequacy group, insufficient group and deficient group, respectively (P<0.05). The overall evaluation of the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly women in Guangzhou community was better, and the average score of EQ-5D was 0.803. Among them, the three dimensions of action ability, self-care ability, and daily activities were better, with satisfactory rates of 91.8%, 98.7%, and 93.8%, respectively. But in terms of pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression, the two dimensions were relatively poor, with satisfactory rates of 60.1% and 75.6%, respectively. The scores of EQ-5D in the three groups of vitamin D adequacy, insufficient, and deficient decreased in turn, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion The insufficiency or deficiency of vitamin D is common in middle-aged and elderly women, which can affect the muscle strength of the lower limbs, accelerate bone turnover, reduce BMD of the hip, and increase the risk of fall, thus affecting the quality of life. |