PREVALENCE OF 25-HYDROXYCHOLECALCIFEROL DEFICIENCY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME IN CROATIAN WOMEN WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED BREAST CANCER.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) including individual MetS components in Croatian women with newly diagnosed breast cancer (BC), exploring differences according to menopausal status. This cross-sectional, observational study recruited 203 adult female patients with newly diagnosed BC of any stage from all Croatian regions (median age 59, range 28-87 years), hospitalized consecutively for their first treatment between December 2016 and August 2017. We analyzed pretreatment fasting serum concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D), high density lipoprotein, low density lipopro- tein, triglycerides, plasma glucose, and measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight and waist circumference; defining VDD as 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L and MetS according to the 2006 International Diabetes Federation consensus. Consistency of the results was explored according to sampling periods, regions and size of settlements. In total sample, 28.6% of patients presented with concomitant VDD+MetS, whilst VDD was found in 55.1% of women (the finding was consistent by menopausal status), and 48.3% had MetS (65.4% of postmenopausal vs. 15.7% of premenopausal wom- en). Concomitant VDD+MetS was more frequent in the inland region (p=0.043), and VDD in inland postmenopausal women (p=0.024), whereas in premenopausal women VDD was more frequent during winter period (p=0.038). In conclusion, a high prevalence of VDD and MetS was found in newly diag- nosed BC patients, with some regional and seasonal differences.