P425 EFFECTIVENESS OF 1-YEAR CALCIFEDIOL TREATMENT ON MUSCLE MASS, STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE IN POSTMENOPAUSALWOMEN:APROSPECTIVECOHORTSTUDY

Objective: To date, there is still no clear agreement about the appropriate vitamin D status in order to obtain an optimal effect in terms of muscle performance in individuals with bone fragility. Calcifediol demonstrated to be immediately effective in improving lower extremity function along with the correction of vitamin D deficiency [1]. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of calcifediol on muscle mass and function and its role in prevention of falls in postmenopausal women. Methods: In this cohort study we included women over 55 with a diagnosis of osteoporosis, osteopenia or vitamin D deficiency [serum 25 (OH)D3<30 ng/ml]. All participants received calcifediol (20 μg/d) for 12 months. We assessed at baseline, after 6 months, and after 1 year the following parameters: sun exposure, levels of physical activity, alcohol and smoking habits, comorbidity burden, serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH, muscle mass (appendicular lean mass,ALM, by DXA), handgrip strength, the short physical performance battery (SPPB), and the percentage of fallers during treatment. Moreover, we calculated the number of patients with a ALM/BMI ratio<0.512, handgrip strength<16 kg and 4-m gait speed<0.8 m/s [2]. Results: 113 women were enrolled, with a mean age of 66±8.4 years, and a mean BMI of 25.3±4.1 kg/m2. After 12 months, no statistically significant variations in bothmean ALMand percentage of sarcopenic patients, according to ALM/BMI cutoff, occurred at 1-year. On the other hand, statistically significant reduction in the percentage of patients with impaired muscle strength (54.9% vs. 33.6%, 0.001) and of those with reduced walking speeds (64.6 vs. 25.7%,<0.001) were reported. At 1-year, a statistically significant decrease of the percentage of fallers (23.9 vs. 13.3%, p<0.040) was reported. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that calcifediol is effective in improvingmuscle strength and performance along with a reduction in percentage of fallers after one year of treatment in postmenopausal women. Presumably, the stable increase of serum 25(OH)D3 might have relevant clinical implications that result in better physical performance thus enhancing the prevention of falls. References: 1. Bischoff-Ferrari HA et al. J Bone Miner Res 2012;27:160 2. Studenski SA et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2014;69:547