RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Siam, A. R. A1 Hammoudeh, M. A1 Khanjer, I. A1 Bener, A. A1 Sarakbi, H. A1 Mehdi, S.YR 2006 T1 Vitamin D Defficiency in Rheumatology Clinic Practice in Qatar JF Qatar Medical Journal, VO 2006 IS 1 OP SP 17 DO https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2006.1.17 PB Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), SN 2227-0426, AB In order to assess the prevalence ofvitamin-D deficiency in patients attending the rheumatology outpatient clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar; 360 consecutive pa-tients (97% female) were tested for fasting levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, calciumphos-phorus, albumin and alkaline phosphatase. Two hundred and three patients (56%) showed vitamin D levels below 20 ng/ml. From the results obtained it is concluded that lev-els of serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phos-phatase are of limited value in predicting vitamin-D sta-tus. The difficulty of skin synthesis in heavily-robed women is discussed and it is concluded that hypovitaminosis D is frequent in such women and that routine assays of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone and vitamin D supplementa-tion would be beneficial., UL https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2006.1.17