Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among inpatients with depressive symptoms

Objective: Although the association between low vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms has been widely reported, studies investigating the relationship between hypovitaminosis D and depressive symptomatology are scarce. Methods: We retrospectively studied the relationship between vitamin D status and depressive symptoms in 196 patients hospitalized for a major depressive episode. Results: The baseline 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total and depression factor (item 1, 2, 3, 7) scores were significantly higher in the vitamin-D-insufficiency/deficiency group than in the vitamin-D-sufficiency group. Conclusion: It is important to consider measuring the vitamin D levels of patients with severe and core depressive symptoms and providing vitamin D supplementation when necessary.