RESUMEN
It is well established that low levels of 25 [OH] Vitamin D [<30 ng/dl] are a common finding world over, affecting over a billion of the global population. Aches and pains in joints and muscles are frequently seen in patients with Vitamin D deficiency and patients are misdiagnosed with other diseases. To determine the level of Vitamin D in patients attending outpatient department with aches and pains. Prospective and observational. This study was conducted at Orthopedic department of Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital [GMMMCH], Sukkur from February 2011 to March 2012. All patients attending orthopaedic OPD of GMMMCH with aches and pains had their Vitamin D level done. They were divided in three diagnostic categories based on their serum 25 [OH] Vitamin D levels. Those with below 8 ng/dl were categorized to have severe deficiency, levels between 8-19ng/dl as moderate deficiency and levels of 20-29 ng/dl as mild deficiency. A total of 400 patients were studied. Minimum age was 15 years and maximum age was 75 years. Serum Vitamin D level was found low [<30 ng/dl] in [92%] patients. Their mean age was 44.3 +/- 18.3 years, with female to male ratio 4:1. Ten percent [10%] had severe, 60% moderate and 30% had mild deficiency. We observed high proportion of patients with aches and pains having low levels of Vitamin D. The specific cause [s] for this observed high prevalence of low 25 [OH] vitamin levels are not clear and need to be investigated further upon