Understanding Vitamin D Deficiency: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Vitamin D Deficiency

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Hypovitaminosis D

General

Vitamin D, also known as “the sunshine vitamin”, has an important role in maintaining your bones strong. It is also essential for calcium absorption in the body. Your body uses the sunlight to make vitamin D. You can also receive it from your diet- it is found mainly in fish, fish oil and diary. A vitamin D deficiency, meaning you don’t have enough of it, can develop due to a lack of vitamin in your diet, or due to limited sunlight exposure. It is more frequent in people with darker skin and people who are strictly vegan.

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Signs & symptoms

As vitamin D levels decreases, your bone and muscle will become weaker. Your bones might be more easily broken, and the muscle weakness will cause you to fall more frequently.

Diagnosis

*Blood test*- to measure vitamin D levels and calcium that might be affected by the vitamin deficiency.

Treatment

You will need to get your vitamin D levels back up. You can do eat by eating more vitamin D rich food- mainly fish and dairy, and by taking supplements. Experts recommend that most adults take vitamin D supplements- ask your doctor how much you should take.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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