Does vitamin D stop inpatients falling? A randomised controlled trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Vitamin D plus calcium did not reduce falls in this geriatric inpatient population. The number of fallers was 36/100 in the intervention group versus 45 in control, with RR 0.82 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.16; P = 0.263); mean falls were 1.040 versus 1.155 (P = 0.435). Time to first fall was also not different (P = 0.377), and fractures were rare with no significant difference (1 vs control, P = 0.327). The authors concluded that routine vitamin D plus calcium supplementation cannot be recommended to prevent falls in this setting.

Study & population

Randomized controlled trial in acutely admitted geriatric inpatients aged >65 years in a geriatric medical unit in Scotland, UK.

Intervention

Oral cholecalciferol 800 IU plus calcium carbonate 1,200 mg once daily, continued until hospital discharge or death.

Key limitation

Single inpatient-unit trial with a relatively small sample and variable hospital length of stay, which limits power and generalizability.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract