Srinagar: Shaista, 34-year-old-expecting mom reported to Lal Ded Hospital, Srinagar final week with an excruciating physique ache and ache in her calves.
Her take a look at studies confirmed that her vitamin D blood take a look at ranges had dropped to 4 ng/ml in opposition to the usual 25 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml).
“She kept on saying that her legs are failing her. The symptoms of vitamin D insufficiency can be ambiguous, making it difficult for patients to explain. Some of the most common symptoms include fatigability, bone pains, muscle pains, muscle soreness, hair loss, and poor wound healing,” the gynecologist treating her mentioned.
Vitamin D is certainly one of many nutritional vitamins your physique wants to remain wholesome. It performs an important function in sustaining the steadiness of calcium in your blood and bones and in constructing and sustaining bones.
More particularly, you want vitamin D so your physique can use calcium and phosphorus to construct bones and help wholesome tissues.
A 2022 examine titled, `Assessment of Vitamin D Status in General Population of Kashmir Valley of Indian Subcontinent’ was revealed in Healthline Journal.
The examine was aimed to evaluate the Vitamin D standing within the normal inhabitants of Kashmir by measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin [25(OH)D] ranges. A complete of 270 wholesome volunteers from differing professions (69 males and 201 non-pregnant/non-lactating girls, aged (18–65 years), residing within the valley had been chosen for this examine.
The findings revealed that vitamin D deficiency may be very excessive within the valley, particularly amongst girls.
“222 (82.2%) of the subjects studied had Vitamin D deficiency. 45 of the 69 males and 177 of the 201 females were found to be Vitamin D deficient,” the analysis paper mentioned.
According to the examine, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency ranged from 58% within the farmers’ group to 93% within the worker group. “Further, vitamin D deficient subjects had a significantly lower mean weekly exposure to sunlight.”
Professor of Surgery, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr. Iqbal Saleem informed The Kashmir Monitor that regardless of the excessive quantity of daylight accessible within the valley, the sufferers report delicate to reasonable deficiency of vitamin D.
“This is because from October to March, the available sunlight which we have in our valley is less as compared to what is required,” he mentioned.
He famous that in Kashmiri females, the overt vitamin D deficiency is much less pronounced however delicate to reasonable deficiencies do happen. This might be attributed to poor dietary practices and fewer publicity to the solar.
Dr. Saleem mentioned the problems depend on the severity of the deficiency. “If the patient has a severe one, his bones will be brittle. He will have a condition called osteoporosis in which the bones break easily and can get susceptible to fractures. Such patients also report symptoms of dizziness, lethargy, and less appetite.”
He mentioned folks ought to take an ample quantity of dairy merchandise as they comprise a superb quantity of vitamin D together with fruit and veggies. “Women especially in winter should take vitamin D sachets for six to eight weeks (once every week). These sachets contain 60,000 units which are sufficient to cover deficiencies in females found to have mild to moderate to severe deficiency. The treatment will be based on the amount of vitamin D present in the serum that can be found by the laboratory test,” Dr. Saleem mentioned.
