[Vitamin D deficiency in adults: to better understand a new presentation of an old disease].
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| Abstract |
Vitamin D is synthesized in skin through a reaction mediated by sunlight, and it is metabolized to 25-hydroxyvitamin D, in liver, and in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, in kidney. This last reaction has a tight feedback mechanism. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is the active hormone, and its actions are mediated mainly by nuclear receptors. Its major functions are in calcium metabolism and bone mass maintenance. Hypovitaminosis D, as a disease in adult people, manifests itself with hypocalcemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism with subsequent loss of trabecular bone, thinning of cortical bone, and, eventually, a higher risk of fractures. Hypovitaminosis D is a very common condition in Europe, Africa, North America and some South American countries, such as Chile and Argentina. Measurement of serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration is the gold standard to diagnose vitamin D deficiency. Serum concentrations below 50 nmol/L are associated with an increase in parathyroid hormone concentration, and bone loss. Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency, like poor sunlight exposition, aging skin and factors that interfere with normal vitamin D metabolism, are well established. Oral vitamin D supplementation, an easy and inexpensive treatment, is needed to treat this illness.
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| Authors | Melissa Orlandin Premaor, Tania Weber Furlanetto |
| Journal | Arquivos brasileiros de endocrinologia e metabologia (Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol) Vol. 50 Issue 1 Pg. 25-37 (Feb 2006) ISSN: 0004-2730 [Print] Brazil |
| Vernacular Title | Hipovitaminose D em adultos: entendendo melhor a apresentação de uma velha doença. |
| PMID | 16628272 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review) |
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