ArticleDermato-endocrinology2013
Hypovitaminosis D in the Middle East and North Africa: Prevalence, risk factors and impact on outcomes.
Article in Dermato-endocrinology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 88 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Vitamin D Replacement on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: a Randomized Controlled Trial in Pregnant Women With Hypovitaminosis D
A Prospective Study On Association Of Serum Vitamin D Level With Isthmic Spondylolysis In Adult Population
Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 184 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Lebanese GRADE-based vitamin D guidelines: a paradigm for the MENA region.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025Guideline
- Vitamin D replacement in children, adolescents and pregnant women in the Middle East and North Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Metabolism: clinical and experimental · 2017Pooled it
- Impact of vitamin D replacement in adults and elderly in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2017Pooled it
- Vitamin D supplementation for preventing infections in children under five years of age.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Daily vitamin DEuropean journal of nutrition · 2021Trial
- Vitamin D Supplementation Modestly Reduces Serum Iron Indices of Healthy Arab Adolescents.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- CYP2R1 polymorphisms are important modulators of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in elderly females with vitamin insufficiency, but not of the response to vitamin D supplementation.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Association of CYP2R1 gene polymorphisms with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Jordanian population.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2026Article
- Article
- Prevalence and trends of vitamin D deficiency among patients undergoing testing at the Maternity and Children Hospital, Dammam, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (2023-2025).Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Vitamin D Nutritional Status in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Article
- Vitamin D insufficiency in pregnant women from Lebanon: prevalence and key predictors.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- Relation between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic maculopathy.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Vitamin D Levels and Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Turkish Women According to Regions and Age Groups.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency Among Children (0-12 Years) in Secondary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study Over One Year Period.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2025Article
- The Sunshine Paradox: Unraveling Risk Factors for Low Vitamin D Status Among Non-Pregnant Women in Lebanon.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Role of Vitamin D in Prediabetes Management, Insights from RCTs in the MENA Region: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region registers some of the highest rates of hypovitaminosis D worldwide.
aimWe systematically reviewed the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D, rickets and osteomalacia, their predictors and impact on major outcomes, in the region.
methodsMedline, Pubmed and Embase search engines, entering keywords and concepts, combined with individual countries of interest, were used. Search was limited years 2000-2012; and review articles were used for the period preceding year 2000.
resultsRickets and osteomalacia still occur in this sunny region. Hypovitaminosis D prevails, with rates varying 30-90%, considering a desirable serum 25 hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] of 20 ng/ml. Advancing age, female gender, multi-parity, clothing style, season, socio-economic status and urban living are recognized predictors of hypovitaminosis D in adults. Prolonged breastfeeding without vitamin D supplementation and low dietary calcium intake are the recognized risk factors for rickets and hypovitaminosis D in children.. Associations with pain score and disease activity in rheumatologic disorders, viral load and interleukins in hepatitis C, BMI, lipids and insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, heart failure and mortality are described. Sun exposure in adults decreased prevalence of metabolic syndrome in one study. Few randomized vitamin D trials revealed that the majority of mothers or children failed to achieve a desirable 25(OH)D level, even with doses by far exceeding current recommendations. A trial in adolescent girls reveals substantial bone and lean mass increments.
conclusionHypovitaminosis D is prevalent in MENA. The lack of populations based studies, gaps in studies in infants, pre-pubertal children and pregnant women, hinder the development of region specific guidelines and constitute a major obstacle to impact this chronic and most often subclinical disease.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.