First seizure presentation in an elderly woman with primary vitamin D deficiency: a case report

Abstract

Vitamin D insufficiency is common in older people and is associated with several disorders related to aging such as osteoporosis, which leads to a significantly increased risk of bone fractures. This deficiency is more common in Mediterranean countries than in Northern European countries. Hypocalcemic seizures resulting from vitamin D deficiency are rare in adults, and fractures caused by seizures without evidence of direct trauma have not yet been reported. We present an unusual case of secondary right radius fracture caused by hypocalcemic seizures in a 63- year-old Turkish woman with primary vitamin D deficiency. After vitamin D supplementation, increased serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and calcium levels and decreased parathormone levels were found. The seizures had not recurred. It is important to check for calcium levels in older patients who present with non-febrile seizures. When hypocalcemia was found serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels should be measured to find the underlying cause.