Perspective on the clinical practice management of hypovitaminosis D from a meeting of Italian experts

Scientific interest in the clinical aspects surrounding vitamin D has increased exponentially in recent years. Unfortunately, this interest is not currently associated with a proportional level of consensus. Indeed, the large number of studies in this field, which are often of low quality and secondary importance (and have recently been defined as “research waste”), has confused even experts and driven them towards controversial positions. Consequently, there are differences in the currently available guidelines and recommendations on vitamin D supplementation issued by various governments and scientific societies. To shed light on this topic, we arranged a meeting with the aim of collecting the opinions of 50 experts in different specialties (“D Battito Group”), including internists, endocrinologists, rheumatologists, pediatricians, geriatricians, dermatologists, gynecologists and nephrologists. This meeting dealt with specific questions regarding the management of hypovitaminosis D and aimed to investigate the opinions of Italian experts on this topic. Most participants were affiliated with Italian university centers. Six key questions were addressed in the meeting. After a short lecture and a 30 minutes discussion, all the experts expressed their opinions, which were recorded together with any specific commentary. The present paper summarizes the opinions and controversies encountered and addressed during the meeting.