Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. Spending time out in the sun allows the skin to make vitamin D. Some areas of the world do not get very much sun, and even when the sun is out, it may not be warm enough to allow for skin exposure. It is important to know how the body can obtain vitamin D and how to know if you have a deficiency in order to correct it.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is not only a vitamin, it also plays the role of a hormone from time to time. The Mayo Clinic states that the vitamin's main role is to maintain normal levels of phosphorous and calcium in the blood along with aiding in the absorption of calcium for strong, healthy bones. Vitamin D has more than one form in the body and both can be tested for when looking for a deficiency. These levels are checked by a blood test.
Children
In children, a vitamin D deficiency is called rickets. Rickets is mainly caused by a lack of vitamin D leading to a softening and bowing of the bones. The American Academy of Family Physicians states rickets can cause delayed growth, bone and spinal pain, muscle weakness and problems with the teeth. Since children are constantly growing, vitamin D is an important nutrient in their lives. Vitamin D can also be found in breast milk, fish, eggs and fortified foods like dairy, cereal and orange juice.
Adults
Lack of vitamin D in adults is called osteomalacia. Most of the time symptoms are vague and can easily be confused with other diseases until a severe deficiency develops, and even then it is hard to know if the symptoms are caused by osteomalacia without lab testing. The National Institutes of Health states that symptoms include fractures with little injury, widespread bone pain and muscle weakness. Deficiency in adults is caused by lack of direct sun exposure or living in an area with little to no sun, poor intestinal absorption and malnutrition. Even living in a city with lots of smog can block the positive effects of the sun's rays.
Diagnosing
For children, a diagnosis of Rickets will be based on the doctor's knowledge of the child's family history and nutrition. Blood tests looking for deficiencies and x-rays looking for deformities in the bone will also help the doctor make the diagnosis. In adults, a careful history and blood tests checking levels of vitamin D, creatine, calcium and phosphate may be done. Other avenues for underlying deficiencies may need to be examined if supplementation does not relieve the symptoms in either adult or child.
Dosing
Both adults and children will be put on high doses of vitamin D and calcium to help repair damage to the bones. Dosing is recommended to be 200 IU for those under a year and 400 to 600 IU a day and no more than 2,000 IU a day for a healthy individual over the age of 1 year. This can be obtained with no more than 15 minutes a day in the sun, without sunscreen a few times a week or by supplementing and eating healthy. When deficient, doctors may prescribe much higher doses of up to 600,000 IU in one dose injected into the muscle, or several doses by mouth. The Mayo Clinic states that up to 20,000 IU a day may also be prescribed until levels return to normal.
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