If you’re here then you’ve probably Google’d about: vitamin d levels low symptoms.
Symptoms And Health Risks Of Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. Yet, even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks.
What Exactly Is Vitamin D?
Commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is important for regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate we have in our bodies.
These are the nutrients our body uses to keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy. ‘One of the ways our bodies manufacture vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight,’ says Dr McClymont. And now we’re in winter, it’s even more important to think about vitamin D and the other sources we can get it from.’.
What Is Vitamin D?
When vitamin D enters the body, it is not in an active form. The results of a serum vitamin D blood test may show the following: Too high and possibly harmful : 125 nmol/l or more
: 125 nmol/l or more Sufficient : 50–125 nmol/l
: 50–125 nmol/l At risk of inadequacy : 30–49 nmol/l
: 30–49 nmol/l At risk of deficiency: 30 nmol/l or less Functions of vitamin D Vitamin D has many important functions, including : supporting bone health by enabling the absorption of calcium
promoting muscle health
modulating the immune system
aiding cell growth
reducing inflammation, which helps prevent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
regulating blood pressure and supporting cardiovascular health Low vitamin D and diabetes Some experts have suggested that vitamin D may help prevent type 2 diabetes. However, in a 2019 study , 2,423 people at risk of type 2 diabetes took either a vitamin D supplement of 4,000 international units (IU) a day or a placebo.
However, taking the supplement did not appear to reduce the risk of diabetes developing.
Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms
The diagnosis is more easily reached in severe deficiencies with some of the classical (typical) symptoms and bone deformities. Symptoms in babies
Babies with severe vitamin D deficiency can get cramps (muscle spasms), fits (seizures) and breathing (respiratory) difficulties.
Their legs may look curved (bow-legged). They may also complain of bone pains, often in the legs, and muscle pains or muscle weakness. Height is usually affected more than weight.
Affected children might be reluctant to start walking. Irritability in children can be due to vitamin D deficiency. When rickets is very severe, it can cause low levels of calcium in the blood.
This can lead to muscle cramps, fits and breathing difficulties. Symptoms in adults
Some people complain of a general tiredness, vague aches and pains and a general sense of not being well. Muscle weakness may cause difficulty in climbing stairs or getting up from the floor or a low chair, or can lead to the person walking with a waddling pattern.
Bones can feel painful to moderate pressure (often more noticeable in the ribs or shin bones). Not uncommonly, people have a hairline fracture in the bone which is causing tenderness and pain. Bone pain often also occurs in the lower back, hips, pelvis, thighs and feet.