来自美国圣路伊斯的华盛顿大学医学院研究表明，接受脊柱手术（如脊柱融合手术/ spinal fusion surgery）的患者之血清维生素D（vitamin D）水平往往较低。已知，维生素D不仅可以帮助钙的收入，亦有利于钙在骨骼中的沉积及骨质形成。因此，维生素D缺乏者不仅易患骨质疏松，且脊柱手术后因“新骨”形成较慢患者往往较难恢复。研究还发现，维生素D缺乏者多见于吸烟、肥胖或残疾人，及其平时很少增补维生素者，如相对年轻的患者之维生素Ｄ水平往往较老年患者低。

基于上述事实，专家们建议凡拟接受“择期脊椎或其它外科手术”的患者术前均应化验血清维生素D之浓度，如有不足，理应补充。如可每周补充50000国际单位，连续补充8周后再接受手术将有助于患者的术后恢复。

另外，多食海鱼、蛋黄、肝和牛奶等亦有利于补充维生素D和维持血清维生素D之正常水平。

Vitamin D Lacking in Many Spine Surgery Patients

Younger patients in study more likely to have low levels of bone-building vitamin

FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Low vitamin D levels are common among spine surgery patients and may delay their recovery, a new study says.

Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. Spine surgery patients with low levels of the vitamin may have difficulty producing new bone, explained researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

They assessed 313 patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery and found that more than half of them had inadequate levels of vitamin D, including one-fourth who were severely deficient.

The study was scheduled for presentation Thursday at the annual meeting of the North American Spine Society in Chicago.

"Our findings suggest it may be worthwhile to screen surgery patients for vitamin D," principal investigator Dr. Jacob M. Buchowski said in a university news release. "We think those with insufficient levels of vitamin D may benefit from taking 50,000 international units of the vitamin once a week for eight weeks before surgery as this may help the recovery after spinal fusion surgery."

It's common for elderly people to have low vitamin D levels, but the patients in this study who were more likely to have lower levels of the bone-building vitamin were younger.

"We rarely think about deficiency in younger patients," Buchowski said. "More of the older patients in this study had a history of taking supplements, and as a result, they had less risk for vitamin D deficiency than younger patients."

The average age of patients in the study was 55. People most likely to have inadequate vitamin D levels were smokers, obese people, those who had a disability before surgery and those who had never taken vitamin D or multivitamin supplements.

Buchowski and his colleagues now plan to investigate whether a connection exists between low vitamin D levels and poor patient results after spinal fusion surgery.

　　He recommended that patients scheduling orthopedic surgery make sure they're getting enough vitamin D, which is produced by the body in response to sun exposure and is found in a number of foods, including saltwater fish, liver, egg yolks, and fortified milk and cereal. Vitamin D supplements are another option.

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

SOURCE: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, news release, Nov. 3, 2011