The effect of UVB irradiation compared with oral vitamin D supplementation on well-being of psycho-geriatric nursing home redidents.

Background: in older people, vitamin D supplementation by UVB irradiation may be preferable to oral supplementation: it cannot cause toxic levels; it is cheap and easy to apply and it helps in preventing polypharmacy. Moreover, there are indications that UVB exposure has additional beneficial effects on health and well-being by other mechanisms than the vitamin D-pathway alone. UVB irradiation has shown to be effective in increasing 25(OH)D serum levels in nursing home residents.

Objective: comparing the additional effects of UVB irradiation to oral vitamin D-supplementation on well-being in psycho-geriatric nursing home residents.



Method: A randomized controlled trial. Subjects are psycho-geriatric nursing home residents (N=80) admitted in two Dutch nursing homes. The intervention consists of half-body UVB irradiation, two times a week, over 6 months, with 0.5 minimal erythemal dose (MED), compared to oral supplementation with 5600 IE cholecalciferol once a week. Main outcome measure is Well-being, monitored by asking the nursing staff to complete the CMAI (Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory) and the Cornell scale for depression in dementia at 0, 3 and 6 months.

UVB irradiation has an additional effect on well-being compared to oral vitamin D-supplementation in psycho-geriatric nursing home residents.

baseline (0 months), 3 and 6 months

The intervention consists of half-body UVB irradiation, two times a week, over 6 months, with 0.5 minimal erythemal dose (MED), compared to oral supplementation with 5600 IE cholecalciferol once a week.