Saturday, 16 August 2008

Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With Chronic Pain In Women

�Low vitamin D levels may lead to inveterate pain among women, suggests research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.


The findings are based on the blood analyses and pain scores of almost 7000 45 year old workforce and women from across England, Scotland and Wales, all of whom were born during one week in March 1958.


Smokers, non-drinkers, the overweight and the skinny all reported higher rates of chronic pain.


The extent of chronic widespread pain did not vary among work force according to vitamin D levels. However, this was not the case for women.


Women with vitamin D levels between 75 and 99 mmol/litre had the last-place rates of this type of pain, at precisely over 8%.


Women with levels of less than 25 mmol/litre had the highest rates, at 14.4%.


There appeared to be a J shaped curve, with the prevalence of widespread pain in the neck at 10% or higher among those with vitamin D levels above 99 mmol/litre.


The findings were not explained by grammatical gender differences in lifestyle or social factors, such as levels of physical activity and time spent outdoors, say the authors.



And at the age of 45, few of the women would have entered the climacteric, a period during which bone mineral density falls as estrogen levels dwindle.


But by way of possible explanations, the authors point to osteomalacia, a disease of extreme vitamin D want, which is associated with isolated or generalised pearl pain. The hormonally active form of vitamin D is as well involved in the regulation of immune system responses.


Around i in 10 of the population suffers from continuing widespread pain at whatsoever one metre, say the authors.


The causes are not to the full understood, just social and psychological factors are known to affect the superstar and reportage of hurting.

Vitamin D and inveterate widespread pain in a white middle aged British population: evidence from a cross sectional population study

Online First AnnRheum Dis2008 doI: 10.1136/ard/2008.090456
Click here to perspective article on-line

Annals of The Rheumatic Rheumatic Diseases


Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (ARD) is an outside peer review journal committed to promoting the highest standards of scientific exchange and breeding. It covers all aspects of rheumatology, which includes the spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions, arthritic disease, and connective tissue disorders. ARD publishes canonic, clinical, and translational scientific research. Concise scientific communication is encouraged and peer reviewed legal proceeding of international meetings are featured. Educational papers let in state of the art reviews, "how to" articles and educational cases that focus on problems faced in clinical practice. The journal was first promulgated in 1939 and has an authorative global Editorial Board and a growing international readership.

The Rheumatic Rheumatic Diseases


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Thursday, 7 August 2008

Blue And Gold Kiosks Going Up

By the end of next year Blockbuster plans to set up some 10,000 kiosks in supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores, malls, fast food outlets and the like at which customers tin rent or buy DVDs, the company said Monday. In a joint news release with NCR, which is providing the machines, Blockbuster said that the kiosks will initially entirely provide DVD rentals merely will eventually allow consumers to purchase DVDs and video games. The society is challenging Redbox, owned by Coinstar and McDonald's, which presently operates around 9,600 DVD kiosks nationally.