Relation between vitamin D and calcium and post operation hypocalcemia in total thyroidectomy

Hypocalcemia is one of the most prevalent complications following total thyroidectomy. Over recent years, in addition to hormone parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D has been also studied as a factor causing post-total thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. This survey seeks to study the relationship between the serum level of vitamin D before surgery and during post-total thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.
A group of 57 patients volunteering for total thyroidectomy were studied on Vali-e-Asr Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from March 2013 to March 2015. In all these patients, pre-surgery calcium, vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) as well as the level of calcium during the post-surgery first two days were measured. Based on objectives of this study, the relationship be-tween pre-surgery vitamin D level and post-surgery hypocalcemia was examined.
The average age of patients participating in the survey was 24.1±13.3. They included 19 women (33.3%) and 38 men, total of 40 patients (70.2%). Their average post-surgery calcium level was 9.2±0.77 milligrams per deciliters (mg/dl) and their average vitamin D content before the surgery was 42±12.1 nanomole per liter (nmol/l). The average calcium level before the surgery and the first post-surgery day were meaningfully different in terms of statistics (P0.001). Of 37 patients with pre-surgery vitamin D deficiency, 31 suffered post-surgery second-day hypocalcemia and of 20 patients with vitamin D insufficiency, 18 suffered second-day hypocalcemia. This difference was not statistically meaningful either (P>0.001).
The current study showed that the serum level of vitamin D before total thyroidectomy does not have any role in the occurrence of post-surgery hypocalcemia which is almost common after this type of surgery.