What Are the Symptoms and Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

The following signs, findings and complaints may be symptoms of vitamin D deficiency as possible indicators:

Frequent illness or infections

One of vitamin D's most important roles is maintaining and regulating a strong immune system. It supports our fight against viruses and bacteria causing infectious disease and interacts directly with infection-fighting cells. Frequent infections may indicate low vitamin D.

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Fatigue and weakness

Vitamin D deficiency causes fatigue, but fatigue has other causes too. Excessive fatigue and weakness may indicate deficiency. If you consult a doctor and no other cause explains these complaints, checking blood vitamin D may clarify the situation.

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Bone and back pain

Vitamin D helps maintain bone health by increasing calcium absorption. Deficiency may cause complaints such as bone and lower back pain.

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Depression

Depressed mood may indicate vitamin D deficiency. In controlled studies, researchers found that usually very low vitamin D doses triggered depression. Some controlled studies showed that giving inadequate vitamin D helped improve depression, including seasonal depression in colder months. Depression is associated with low vitamin D, and some studies found supplementation benefited depressed mood.

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Poor wound healing

Vitamin D contributes to wound healing. Delayed recovery after surgery or injury may reflect deficiency. One study found that treating deficient patients with foot ulcers reduced ulcer size by an average of % 28. Insufficient vitamin D can lead to poor healing after surgery, injury or infection.

Weakening and loss of bone

Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and bone metabolism.

Many people diagnosed with osteoporosis (bone loss) may also be vitamin D-deficient. Low bone mineral density indicates loss of calcium and other minerals, increasing fracture risk in older adults, particularly women. In a large observational study involving more than 1.100 middle-aged women during or after menopause, researchers found a strong link between low vitamin D and low bone mineral density.

However, vitamin D and calcium "supplements", against bone fractures, donotprovide protection, according to results from 2017 published in JAMA, a meta-analysis involving more than 50 thousand people.

Hair loss

Stress is a common cause of hair loss, and vitamin D deficiency may be another. Deficiency has been associated with substantial hair loss, particularly in women. If identified, vitamin D supplements may be used under medical supervision.

Muscle pain

Myalgia is the name for muscle pain, whose causes are often difficult to identify.

Some evidence suggests vitamin D deficiency may cause muscle pain in children and adults. One study found insufficient blood vitamin D in %71 of people with chronic pain. Interactions between the vitamin and pain-sensing nerve cells link chronic pain with low vitamin D.

It can be hard to know whether these complaints result from low vitamin D. Deficiency is generally easy to correct. If you think you may be deficient, speak to your doctor and have blood levels measured.

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency is common in many chronic diseases and cancer patients, but it is not a cancer symptom . Deficiency may arise for many reasons, including:

Insufficient vitamin D intake over a long period

Following a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, because most natural vitamin D sources are animal foods (fish and fish oils, egg yolk, and cattle and sheep/goat liver).

Little or no sunlight exposure

You may be at risk if you live in northern countries, wear long garments or head coverings for religious reasons, or have work preventing sunlight exposure.

Having dark skin

Melanin, the pigment giving skin its color, reduces skin's ability to produce vitamin D in sunlight. Some studies show deficiency is more common in dark-skinned people.

Kidney failure

The kidneys are the main organs converting vitamin D to its active form. With age they struggle to perform this conversion, increasing deficiency risk.

Inadequate vitamin D absorption from the digestive system

Medical conditions including Crohn disease, cystic fibrosis and celiac disease may affect intestinal absorption of vitamin D from food.

Being obese / overweight

Obesitymay trap vitamin D in fat cells and reduce its release into the bloodstream. Body mass index of 30 or higher is generally associated with low vitamin D.

In our next article on this topic, we plan to discuss "Should Vitamin D Supplements Be Taken Daily or Monthly?" as the subject. 

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