Deficiencies of selected vitamins in older adults: clinical significance and supplementation options
Authors:
Martin Bajer 1; Pavel Skořepa 1,2
Authors‘ workplace:
III. interní gerontometabolická klinika Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Karlovy a Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové
1; Univerzita obrany, Vojenská lékařská fakulta, Katedra vojenského vnitřního lékařství a vojenské hygieny, Hradec Králové
2
Published in:
Geriatrie a Gerontologie 2026, 15, č. 3: 134-139
Category:
Review Article
doi:
https://doi.org/10.61568/geri/50-6779/20260805/144190
Overview
This narrative review summarizes the clinical significance of vitamin D, C, B9, and B12 deficiencies in older adults. Deficiencies in these vitamins are associated with impaired functional status, increased frailty, mobility impairments, cognitive decline, anaemia, neuropathies, and a poorer prognosis for certain acute and chronic diseases in older adults. The aim of this article is to highlight, based on available medical data and current national and European guidelines, the most common causes of deficiencies and their clinical manifestations, as well as the options for laboratory diagnosis and practical principles of supplementation in geriatric practice. Special attention is given to at-risk groups of older adults, in whom hypovitaminosis can easily be overlooked or mistakenly attributed to the aging process itself.
Keywords:
Vitamin C – geriatrics – supplementation – vitamin D – vitamin B12 – micronutrients – vitamin B9
Sources
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