Personally I would tend to agree that yes there is a strong possibility we are all vitamin D deficient (?insufficient). Whether this is enough to cause bone disease is open to debate, I think it certainly has an effect on immune function etc. This must be related to modern lifestyles, i.e insufficient exposure to sunlight, obesity?
Our catchment covers a wide area of Birmingham including affluent and not so affluent areas. The prevalence of deficiency in the affluent areas is less but still there, this would suggest that there are other factors in play. From personal experience, my 25-OH vitamin D concentrations drop around November and are in the insufficient range all winter only rising to sufficient July / August time (and only just). In terms of sun exposure I'll play golf 1 x per week usually being out in the sun for 4+ hours, usually around midday and with no sunblock.
Cheers
Craig
On 22 Aug 2011, at 09:45, Colley, Michael wrote:
>
> I understand the significance of low levels in populations with low exposure to sunlight, but if the rest of us all have low levels, are we all suffering from Vitamin D deficency? So are we all ill? Have I got subclinical rickets?
>
> Can the British population ever have had adequate Vitamin D levels given our variable weather?
>
> M
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Webster Craig
> Sent: 22 August 2011 09:02
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: BBC News - Vitamin D mum test 'could protect babies from rickets'
>
> Hi,
>
> This is what we found at Nottingham and here at Heartlands, the only reliable marker of vitamin D status is 25-OH Vitamin D.
>
> Best Wishes
> Craig
> On 21 Aug 2011, at 14:42, Mascall, Gary (Biochemistry) wrote:
>
>>
>> Interesting, and something which has been taxing me for some time.
>> Classically it used to be taught that Rickets/Vitamin D deficiency resulted in low serum Calcium, raised Phosphate and Alkaline Phosphates.
>> Having reviewed several hundred Vitamin D requests, there appears to be no correlation between Vitamin D levels and these other "markers". The only good indicator appears to be PTH done at same time, which will be high, showing increased bone resorption, and falls with adequate replacement, although it appears to take quite some time to do so, and for the calcium level to increase.
>> So should we abandon the old cheaper tests, and move across to Vitamin D and PTH instead?
>>
>> Looking at another parameter in pregancy, I frequently see very low
>> Ferritin levels, usually with normal serum iron status. So for both,
>> are we saying that irrespective of what the blood results are telling
>> us, we should give
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