Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms are crucial to recognise – Being deficient in this very important vitamin could quite possibly have a massively detrimental impact on your life.

The worst case scenario is that the deficiency will lead to a condition where bones do not calcify normally and will even cause easier fractures and deformities.

This condition is called Rickets in infants and osteomalacia in adults. If treated, prognosis is usually positive however bone deformities usually persist in infants where as in adults they do not.

I think you’ll agree it would always be best to catch a Vitamin D deficiency early or even prevent it in the first place through proper nutrition or supplementation

So how do we recognise Vitamin D deficiency symptoms?

Recognising Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Early signs and symptoms

Profuse sweating

Irritability

Restlessness

Long Term Symptoms

High Blood Pressure

Tuberculosis

Depression, including seasonal affective disorder

Type I diabetes

Periodontal disease

Low blood calcium levels

Chronic bone, muscle, or joint pain

Chronic fatigue

Knocked knees

Other bone deformities I.e enlarged wrists/ankles, pidgeon chest, bulging forehead etc

You may not experience all of these vitamin d deficiency symptoms if you have a deficiency but on the flip side of the coin, if you do recognise one or two of these symptoms, it may not necessarily mean that you’re deficient in Vitamin D

If we know what causes Vitamin D deficiency, then we may be better equipped to recognise whether it is a deficiency or not..

So What Are the Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Lack of exposure to sun – Ironically, for all the bad press that our good old sun gets, lack of it is the biggest risk factor for vitamin d deficiency. Vitamin D is synthesised by the body through sun exposure, therefore a lack of sun (or too much sun block) will cause a deficiency.

Race/Ethnicity – Those with darker skin will have more trouble synthesizing Vitamin D due to melanin (the pigment that darkens skin) slowing this process down.

Liver and Kidney Problems – Vitamin D is processed by the Liver and Kidneys so these individuals could suffer from Vitamin D deficiency even if they have enough Vitamin D circulating in their blood.

Genetic – Some individuals are genetically unable to convert sunlight as effectively as others leading to a deficiency symptoms.

Others – Things such as weight/obesity and age are also risk factors which can cause Vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Mainly because older and overweight individuals have a greater demand and requirement on their bones for Vitamin D.

If you are at risk of any of the above causes of vitamin d deficiency, this can be balanced out by taking in the proper Vitamin D supplements

However, if you have a genetic condition or poor liver/kidney function that means you can’t synthesize Vitamin D optimally, I would recommend seeing your doctor – Especially if you are experiencing any of the Vitamin D deficiency symptoms