Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder that represents a global health problem; its prevalence is increasing globally. Saudi Arabia is having one of the highest prevalence of T2DM in the world. Vitamin D is important for the health of bone; its deficiency is associated with increased vascular complications in patients with T2DM. The current systematic review was aimed at exploring the association between vitamin D and T2DM. This study included all the studies which focused and reported the association or non-association of a Vitamin D deficiency with T2DM. A filtration procedure was used to remove duplicates, irrelevant publications. The online databases PubMed and Google Scholar were used to perform a literature search for publications published between 2013 and 2019, without any date or language restrictions. We used a combination of relevant search terms “Vitamin D deficiency, T2DM, Association, Prevalence, Factors, Saudi Arabia.” We independently identified publications and systematically screened titles, abstracts, and full texts of the collected publications. Among 36 articles initially selected based on the title and abstract, 14 articles were excluded as the targeted population was not Saudi Arabian ethnicity. Finally, 12 review articles were selected and included in the systematic review. Vitamin D deficiency was found more prevalent among T2DM patients and its prevalence was associated with several factors including female gender, younger age, and higher Hemoglobin A1C level.

Key words: Association, vitamin D, deficiency, T2D, Saudi Arabia