What are the Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?
Introduction
Vitamin D has some vital roles to play that keeps the whole body functioning normally. Not like what happens to other vitamins, every cell of the body is a receptor to it. It functions like hormones. Your body makes it from cholesterol when the body is exposed to the sunlight. It can also be traced in many foods like fatty fish and fortified dairy products, whereas it is difficult to get it alone from our diet. Its deficiency is a common problem. It is estimated that nearly 1 billion people on this globe is facing vitamin D deficiency in their blood.
Let us explain the most usual risk factors for vitamin D deficiency:
- Having dark skin.
- Being overweight or obese.
- Living far from the equator where there is little sun year-round.
- Being elderly.
- Not eating much fish or dairy.
- Always using sunscreen when going out.
- Staying indoors.
Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?
People who live near the equator usually get exposed to sunlight, in their case the vitamin deficiency is rarely found. Their skin produces enough vitamin D that their bodies require.
Most of them don’t realize that they’re deficient, as symptoms are usually mild. You might not be able to recognize them easily, even if they’re having a vital negative effect on the quality of your life.
Falling Sick too Often:
- One of its important jobs is to keep your immune system in a strong position so that it is able to fight off many bacteria and viruses, which cause sickness. It gets in touch with cells that are responsible for fighting infection. It can be a major reason when you keep getting cold or fever quite frequently. Many massive studies have shown that the deficiency of vitamin D has the respiratory tract infections that cause colds, pneumonia and bronchitis.
- After a brief research it is was found that by having the dosage of 4000iu daily may lower the risk of getting respiratory tract infections. In the case of chronic lung disorder (COPD), only those who lacked vitamin D severely showed a remarkable progress after taking a high dose supplement for the whole year.
Back Pain:-
- Vitamin D helps to develop bone health in many ways. It enhances the body in absorbing the calcium. Its inadequate level might cause the lower back & bone pain. Studies have found a connection between the chronic lower back pain and its deficiency.
- Research was done on vitamin D’s deficiency and it was found that people who lacked vitamin D had severe back pain that restricted their daily activities. Vitamin D deficiency were doubled to feel the pain in their ribs, joints and legs when compared with those who had a normal level.
Depression:-
- Vitamin D deficiency can cause a depressed mood, particularly in the old adults. In a research it was found that 65% of people complain about a low blood pressure. The dosage of vitamin D is often very low. Most of the studies conducted showed no results on mood. The dosage of vitamin D to the depressed people showed some effect, including the seasonal depression that happens during the colder months.
Tiredness and fatigue:
- Vitamin D deficiency can lead to fatigue. Most of the times it is ignored. In many cases it is seen that the blood level gets low and has a negative effect on the quality of life. Once a lady complained about daytime fatigue and headaches.
- When tested her vitamin D level was just 5.9ng/ml. It was extremely low, anything below 20ng/ml is considered low. Then she took some supplements of food that was rich in vitamin D and her tiredness and headache vanished. A diagnoses was done on the effect of lack of vitamin D on a young lady.
Wounds healing slows down:
- When the wounds take time to heal, a clear indication that you lack vitamin D. Vitamin D enhances the production of compounds that are required for forming new skin in the wound healing process. A study found out that dental surgery healing was compromised by deficiency of vitamin D.
- It was reported that vitamin D has a role in controlling inflammation and fighting infections that healed the wounds. People who lacked vitamin D had higher level of inflammation that jeopardized healing. Patients of leg ulcers who lacked vitamin D, when vitamin D is provided to them their ulcer size reduced by 28%.
Bone loss:
- Lots of older people who lost bones believed that they lacked calcium, but lack of vitamin D was also found. Low bone mineral density means that your bones have lost their minerals and calcium. It means that the older adults, especially the females have a risk of frequent fractures. In a study carried on 1100 ladies, who were middle aged, it was found that most of them lacked vitamin D, so they all had a low bone density and low bone minerals.
- The ladies who had low vitamin D, when fed with foods rich in vitamin D showed no improvement in bone density, however their blood level improved. Adequate intake of vitamin D maintains the blood level and is seen as a good strategy for protecting bone mass and reducing risk of frequent fractures.
Hair Loss:
- Autoimmune disease characterized by severe hair loss from the head and other parts of the body, when you get infected by Alopecia areata. Rickets happen that causes soft bones as in children due to lack of vitamin D.
- When vitamin D is so low then you run the risk of acquiring alopecia areata and it may develop this disease further. So low level of vitamin D is associated with severe hair loss.
- Many other foods affect the health of your hair. If you don’t want a hair loss there are 14 best foods to avoid it.
- These are the major factors that are responsible if your body lacks vitamin D. You tend to acquire any of the above mentioned diseases, if deficiency of vitamin D in your body. So the importance of vitamin D is necessary to mobilize your body normally.
