What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a
fat-soluble vitamin that is needed for good health. Vitamin D is important for
strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D promotes calcium
and phosphorus absorption in the gut.
Where
can we find Vitamin D?
A main source of
vitamin D is made by our own bodies. It is made in the skin by exposure to
sunlight. Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in sunlight convert cholesterol in the skin
into vitamin D. Season, time of day, length of day, clouds, fog, skin colour,
and sunscreen are some of the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and
vitamin D synthesis. It is naturally present in very few foods. The best
dietary source of vitamin D is oily fish (salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and cod
liver oil. Egg yolk, liver, and mushrooms contain small quantities of vitamin
D.
Who gets vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency
means that there is not enough vitamin D in your body. It can happen in 3 groups of people
- Someone with an increased need for vitamin D.
- Example: Growing Children, pregnant women need extra vitamin D.
- Someone who is unable to make enough vitamin D
- Example: Poor exposure to sunlight (children who are often kept indoors, children who are fully clothed with no areas of skin exposed to sun), dark skinned children
- Not enough vitamin D is being taken in the diet or poor absorption
- Example: Children with a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, Children with fat malabsorption conditions like Crohns disease, liver disease etc
What are the symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency?
·
Babies with severe vitamin D deficiency
can get muscle cramps, seizures and breathing difficulties. These problems are
related to low levels of calcium.
·
Children with severe deficiency may have
soft skull or leg bones. Their legs may look curved (bow-legged). They may
complain of bone pains, often in the legs, and muscle pains or muscle weakness.
This condition is known as Rickets.
·
Poor growth. (Height is usually
affected more than weight)
·
Tooth delay. (Children with vitamin
D deficiency may be teething late)
·
Irritability
·
More
prone to infections.
How is vitamin D deficiency diagnosed?
Your doctor may request
a simple blood test for vitamin D level to make the diagnosis. He or She will
request blood tests for calcium, phosphate levels and liver function which are
often linked to vitamin D levels. They would do wrist X-ray of the child to
look at the bones.
What is the treatment for vitamin D deficiency?
The treatment is to take vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D can be given as an injection or as syrup.
