Abstract Background Hypovitaminosis D is associated with adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality in patients with cancer. Although vitamin D insufficiency (23%–72%) and deficiency (20%–71%) are common among patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation, their prevalence and predictors in cancer‐specific inpatient rehabilitation populations remain uncharacterized. Objective To determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in adults with cancer admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation and to identify demographic, clinical, laboratory, and functional predictors. Design Retrospective observational cohort study. Setting An inpatient rehabilitation service within a tertiary cancer hospital. Patients Consecutive adults with a cancer diagnosis admitted for acute inpatient rehabilitation between December 1, 2023, and May 24, 2024. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) The primary outcome was the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (25‐hydroxyvitamin D ≤ 29 ng/mL). Secondary outcomes included predictors of hypovitaminosis D and evaluation of the timing and frequency of vitamin D supplementation upon index hospital admission, upon admission to inpatient rehabilitation, and at 3 and 6 months post discharge. Results Of 126 patients, 78 (62%) had hypovitaminosis D. Significant predictors included relatively younger age (median 66.0 vs 71.5 years; effect size, 5.5 with 95% confidence interval CI, 1.60–9.40, p = .006) and presence of neurogenic bladder or bowel (16.7% vs 2.4%; odds ratio, 0.12 with 95% CI, 0.003–0.924, p = .019). At hospital admission, 29% ( n = 36) were receiving supplementation, and 40% ( n = 51) initiated supplementation during inpatient rehabilitation. At 3 and 6 months post discharge, 48% ( n = 61) and 39% ( n = 49), respectively, had records of continued supplementation. Vitamin D supplementation was generally well tolerated during inpatient rehabilitation, with only minor side effects that were managed in three patients. Conclusions Hypovitaminosis D was highly prevalent among adult patients with cancer undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. Identified predictors, including relatively younger age and neurogenic bladder or bowel, may help guide targeted screening.
Tennison et al. (Sat,) studied this question.