Vitamin D
The test is used to diagnose vitamin D deficiency or excess, and to assess whether abnormalities in laboratory tests reflecting calcium metabolism (calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH)) are due to vitamin D deficiency or excess.
18,00 €
What is the need for a study?
The test is used to diagnose vitamin D deficiency or excess, and to assess whether abnormalities in laboratory tests reflecting calcium metabolism (calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH)) are due to vitamin D deficiency or excess.
Vitamin D is fat-soluble and absorbed in the gut as it is, so vitamin D levels are sometimes measured to assess the progress of diseases that interfere with fat absorption, such as cystic fibrosis or Crohn’s disease, and in patients who have undergone gastric surgery that may lead to inadequate vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin D testing is also used to assess the efficacy of preparations containing vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and/or magnesium.
When should I be tested?
The study needs to be done:
1. abnormal levels of calcium, phosphorus and/or magnesium, parathyroid hormone (PTH);
2. bone deformities in children (rickets) or bone weakness, softening or fractures in adults (osteomalacia), with suspicion of osteoporosis;
3. suspected vitamin D deficiency;
4. women at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency (elderly, with malabsorption syndrome, living in a nursing home or permanently at home, dark-skinned women);
5. to assess parathyroid function;
6. when high levels of calcium are detected in people with sarcoidosis or lymphomas.
What sample is needed for the test?
Blood is drawn from a vein in the arm.
How to prepare for the survey?
No need.
What do my results mean?
Low blood levels of vitamin D may mean that the production of vitamin D from the sun and dietary intake is too low for the body’s needs, or that the intestinal absorption of vitamin D is impaired, or that the liver does not synthesise the active form of vitamin D and does not excrete enough vitamin D into the blood.
Low vitamin D levels are often associated with kidney disease and are one of the first symptoms of kidney failure.
Vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of certain cancers, immune disorders and cardiovascular disease.
High levels of vitamin D are usually associated with excess vitamin D in preparations or supplements. High levels can occur in diseases where too much PTH is synthesised, or where vitamin D is produced in tumour cells rather than in the kidneys (e.g. sarcoidosis or some lymphomas).
Related studies
Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, PTH
Related conditions/diseases.
Osteoporosis, rickets, osteomalacia, sarcoidosis, lymphoma
You can consult our family doctors.
