Who is at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency?

Just to refresh our memories, in other articles on this website, we have noted that:

– When we say, check the vitamin D level, we mean serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level is widely accepted as the most important measure of vitamin D status.

– More precisely, when we want to check the vitamin D level, we want the total of 25-hydroxy vitamin D2 plus 25-hydroxy vitamin D3, which is what we get when we order serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D.

But we should NOT routinely test serum vitamin D levels unless there is a specific reason to do so. This is what the Endocrine Society’s clinical practice guideline on “Vitamin D for the Prevention of Disease” (Demay et al., 2024) recommended.

But we should know who is at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. These risk factors include, in no particular order (Demay et al., 2024) :

– Non-modifiable individual factors: elderly, dark skin

– Obesity

– Low levels of sun exposure for any reason

– Chronic kidney or liver disease

– Clinical features like bone pain, osteopenia or osteoporosis, or unexplained fractures.

Note: The above is not a complete list of all risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.

TO BE COMPLETED

What is vitamin D?

How should vitamin D status be measured?

How should we define vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency?

Vitamin D for depressive disorders?

Does vitamin D supplementation increase the risk of kidney stones?

References

Demay MB, Pittas AG, Bikle DD, Diab DL, Kiely ME, Lazaretti-Castro M, Lips P, Mitchell DM, Murad MH, Powers S, Rao SD, Scragg R, Tayek JA, Valent AM, Walsh JME, McCartney CR. Vitamin D for the Prevention of Disease: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Jul 12;109(8):1907-1947. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae290. Erratum in: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Feb 18;110(3):e916. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae854. Erratum in: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Jun 04:dgaf310. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaf310. PMID: 38828931.

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