2023-06-12 16:08:51
Vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins and can be stored and even produced by the body. But for this he needs sunshine. If you don’t spend enough time outdoors, you can only produce a little vitamin D during the day. Over time, vitamin D reserves are depleted and deficiency occurs. What symptoms can occur?
Symptoms: when do you speak of a deficiency?
If the body for a long period of time no new Vitamin D might produce and express symptoms clearly, one speaks according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from a vitamin D deficiency. The vitamin D content in the body is measured using blood values. The key is 25-hydroxyvitamin D. However, these values ”are subject to strong seasonal fluctuations”, writes the RKI. If the values measured are too low, it does not mean that there is a long-term vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency: What symptoms can children and adolescents experience?
According to the Society for Vitamin Research (GVF), vitamin D is required, among other things, to build bones and teeth and for an efficient immune system. A deficiency can manifest itself in severe symptoms. Children can develop rickets if there is a severe chronic deficiency. With the disease, the bone substance is weakened and severe deformation of the legs can occur. According to the RKI, a deficiency in children can also trigger the following symptoms:
- Bone growth disorders
- decreased muscle strength
- muscle weakness
- muscle cramps
- higher susceptibility to infection
Muscle spasms can, according to the medical Fachlexikon MSD Manual mainly occur in infants when the mother has already suffered from a vitamin D deficiency. This is then passed on to the child because it does not absorb enough vitamin D through breast milk. Muscle spasms in infants are also often considered the first sign of rickets, according to the MSD Manual. The cramps also appear in the face or in the hands and feet.
From the age of one year, children suffering from rickets due to a vitamin D deficiency can develop bowlegs and knock knees or curvature of the spine. Bowlegs or knock-knees can also occur as a symptom of severe vitamin D deficiency in adolescents. You may also have pain when walking.
Vitamin D deficiency: an overview of symptoms in adults
Vitamin D deficiency has a major impact on bone health. This also applies to adults. According to the RKI, the following symptoms can occur:
- bone pain
- Deformations of the supporting bones
- muscle weakness
- power reduction
According to the MSD Manual, the spine, pelvis and legs in particular can become weak.
The RKI writes that studies have found a connection between vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus or cancer. Whether the vitamin D deficiency is actually the cause would have to be further investigated. Recently, the German Cancer Research Center evaluated some studies and came to an exciting conclusion: Vitamin D is said to be able to increase the chance of survival in cancer.
Seniors with vitamin D deficiency suffer from these symptoms
In older patients, long-term undersupply can contribute to osteopenia (low bone density) or osteoporosis (bone loss), according to the GVF. Bone fractures can occur more frequently – even with minor concussions.
According to the MSD Manual, seniors need higher amounts of vitamin D than younger people because their skin doesn’t produce as much vitamin D even when they’re outdoors.
Preventing Symptoms: Who Should Have Their Vitamin D Levels Tested?
People with chronic diseases of the digestive tract or with liver or kidney diseases should have their vitamin D levels checked. Some medications can also impair the vitamin D metabolism, for example antiepileptics or cytostatics.
According to the RKI, not only people with certain diseases belong to the risk group, but also:
- People who are rarely outdoors. Only a small part of the daily requirement is covered by nutrition. The rest comes from the sun’s rays. By the way, there is a persistent myth: avocados have no vitamin D.
- People who cover themselves for religious or cultural reasons.
- People with darker skin types who are less sensitive to UV rays. Due to the high pigmentation of the skin, more UV rays are needed to suffice Vitamin D to produced. In Deutschland the required exposure is difficult even in summer.
Vitamin D: symptoms of overdose
According to the MSD Manual, an acute vitamin D overdose can result in the following symptoms:
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- Vomit
- feeling weak
- nervousness
- high blood pressure
With a prolonged overdose, the calcium level in the blood is too high. The body then stores the trace element in the kidneys and lungs, among other things. The excess is treated by stopping the vitamin D tablets.
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