Vitamin D Deficiency: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Vitamin D Deficiency Risk Factors

Anybody, including infants, toddlers, and adults, can be vitamin D deficient. A person's risk of vitamin D deficiency is enhanced by biological and environmental variables in addition to medical diseases that can cause it. These factors include:

• Age: As your skin's capacity to produce vitamin D declines with time, those over 65 are particularly at risk for developing a vitamin D deficit. Moreover, infants run the danger of not getting enough vitamin D. Because breast milk only contains a little quantity of vitamin D, this is especially true for newborns who are exclusively fed it.
• Skin tone: Those with darker skin have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency because dark skin has a harder time producing vitamin D from sunshine than light skin.
• Mobility: Sun exposure cannot be used as a source of vitamin D for persons who are housebound or rarely venture outside (such as residents of nursing homes and other facilities). As a result, they are more susceptible to vitamin D insufficiency.

Vitamin D Deficiency Complications

The following are the most severe complications of vitamin D deficiency:

• Low levels of blood calcium
• Low levels of blood phosphate
• Rickets
• Osteomalacia

These conditions are curable. Although rickets is a disease that can be treated and is frequently curable, it is crucial to act quickly. Milder cases of rickets can cause long-term bone damage if left untreated, which can prevent bones from developing normally. Seizures, heart damage, and death can result from severe cases that are not addressed.

Vitamin D Deficiency Diagnosis

Normal regular checks of vitamin D levels are uncommon, but if you have specific medical disorders, risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency, or symptoms of it, your healthcare practitioner may recommend a check of your levels.

For a blood test to determine your vitamin D levels, ask your doctor. They might request one of two different tests, but the 25(OH)D, or hydroxyvitamin D, test is the most typical.

Vitamin D Deficiency Treatment

Reaching and then maintaining a sufficient amount of vitamin D in your body are the objectives of both treatment and prevention for vitamin D deficiency.

Your doctor would probably advise taking vitamin D pills even if you might think about increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin D and receiving more sunlight.

There are two types of vitamin D: D2 and D3. Plants provide ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. Animals provide cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3. To purchase D2, you need a prescription. But, D3 can be purchased over the counter. D3 is easier for your body to absorb than D2.

Consult your doctor to determine whether you require a vitamin supplement and, if so, how much to take.

Vitamin D Deficiency Prevention

Getting adequate vitamin D from your diet and/or from sun exposure is the best strategy to avoid vitamin D deficiency. Your age determines how much vitamin D you need daily. However, it is noteworthy to mention that you need to avoid spending too much time outdoors without sunscreen. The chance of developing skin cancer increases if you spend too much time in the sun.

References

Amrein, K., Scherkl, M., Hoffmann, M., Neuwersch-Sommeregger, S., Köstenberger, M., Tmava Berisha, A., ... & Malle, O. (2020). Vitamin D deficiency 2.0: an update on the current status worldwide. European journal of clinical nutrition, 74(11), 1498-1513.

Holick, M. F. (2007). Vitamin D deficiency. New England journal of medicine, 357(3), 266-281.

Kennel, K. A., Drake, M. T., & Hurley, D. L. (2010, August). Vitamin D deficiency in adults: when to test and how to treat. In mayo clinic proceedings (Vol. 85, No. 8, pp. 752-758). Elsevier.

Pearce, S. H., & Cheetham, T. D. (2010). Diagnosis and management of vitamin D deficiency. Bmj, 340.

Prentice, A. (2008). Vitamin D deficiency: a global perspective. Nutrition reviews, 66(suppl_2), S153-S164.