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VITAMIN D STATUS AND SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE AMONG WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE). 1829

Low serum 25-OHD in female Arab subjects which may predispose their infants to hypocalcaemia has been suggested to be due to lack of sunshine exposure. There are no studies on estimate of sunshine exposure and its effect on serum 25-OHD concentration. Relation between sunlight exposure and vitamin D stores in fertile UAE nationals was assessed by comparing the style of dress, time spent in sunlight, serum 25-OHD and mineral status of 33 national women of childbearing age with those of 25 non-Gulf Arabs and 17 Caucasians. We hypothesise that because of differences in culture and the style of dress, there would be less sunshine exposure and lower serum 25-OHD concentration in UAE nationals than the other two groups. The average minutes per day of sunlight exposure in the preceding seven days determined by recall was multiplied by seven to calculate the total sunlight exposure in minutes per week (min/wk). The style of dress (with head, forearm or legs covered) while outdoor was also recorded. Serum 25-OHD was measured by HPLC and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) by an immunoradiometric assay. Serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated by an autoanalyser [Beckman Synchron CX 7]. UAE nationals and other non-Gulf Arabs were more likely to be completely covered outdoor while the duration of time(min/wk) spent in sunlight (281 ± 60 v 248 ± 81 v 379 ± 69) was not significantly different among the three groups. Serum concentrations of 25-OHD (ng/ml) in UAE 17.2 ± 3.3 and non-Gulf Arabs 22.1 ± 4.4 were significantly lower (p<0.0001) than the value of 66.6 ± 4.6 (mean ± SEM) in the Caucasians. Serum Ca, P, ALP and PTH were not significantly different in the three groups. Covering of forearm showed negative correlation (p<0.0001) with serum 25-OHD. Limited skin exposure appears to be an important determinant of low vitamin D status in UAE subjects.