{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T05:00:03Z","timestamp":1787029203215,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,31]],"date-time":"2025-05-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748649600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: High rates of vitamin D deficiency have been reported in population-based studies, including those conducted in Germany. The goal of this study was to evaluate vitamin D levels and associated factors in a clinical cohort of German patients presenting to a rheumatology clinic. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of electronic health record data from patients presenting to a rheumatology clinic in southern Germany. Data included demographic characteristics and vitamin D levels as measured by the Elecsys\u00ae Vitamin D total III assay (Roche). Associations between vitamin D levels and patient characteristics were evaluated by Pearson correlation analyses, t-tests, and multiple regression analyses. We also explored seasonal changes. Results: A total of 4979 patients were included; 3230 (64.9%) were female and the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 53.6 (15.2) years. The mean (SD) vitamin D level was 27.4 (14.0) ng\/mL (range, 3\u2013240 ng\/mL). Overall, 1540 (30.9%) had vitamin D levels in the deficient range (&lt;20 ng\/mL), 1774 (35.6%) had sufficient vitamin D (20 to 30 ng\/mL), 1597 (32.1%) had optimal vitamin D levels (&gt;30 to 70 ng\/mL), and 68 (1.4%) had levels &gt;70 ng\/mL. Lower vitamin D levels were significantly associated with younger age, male sex, and higher body mass index. Mean levels were significantly lower during winter months and the percentages of patients with vitamin D deficiency were higher. Conclusions: Our data indicate that low levels of vitamin D are common in clinical cohorts, particularly in men, younger adults, overweight individuals, and during winter months. Patient education and\/or supplementation may help to address this issue and potentially improve patient health.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17111893","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,2]],"date-time":"2025-06-02T05:09:12Z","timestamp":1748840952000},"page":"1893","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Vitamin D Levels in Patients Presenting to a Rheumatology Clinic in Germany: Associations with Patient Characteristics and Season"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8028-8099","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin","family":"Feuchtenberger","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatologie, MVZ MED BAYERN OST, 84489 Burghausen, Germany"},{"name":"Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, University Hospital W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Magdolna Szilvia","family":"Kovacs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatologie, MVZ MED BAYERN OST, 84489 Burghausen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Axel","family":"Nigg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatologie, MVZ MED BAYERN OST, 84489 Burghausen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arne","family":"Sch\u00e4fer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, University Hospital W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"},{"name":"Diabetes Zentrum Mergentheim, 97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"665","DOI":"10.1007\/s40265-023-01875-8","article-title":"The role of vitamin D in health and disease: A narrative review on the mechanisms linking vitamin D with disease and the effects of supplementation","volume":"83","author":"Rebelos","year":"2023","journal-title":"Drugs"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Charoenngam, N., and Holick, M.F. 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