Reduce unnecessary routine vitamin D testing

Rowan Hutchins — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

October 2, 2023

Journal/Publication:

Canadian Family Physician

Publisher:

College of Family Physicians of Canada

Publication Date:

September 1, 2023

Issue:

Volume:

URL:

Reduce unnecessary routine vitamin D testing

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.46747/cfp.6909620

Keywords

vitamin D

vitamins

PMID (1):

37704241

MeSH

vitamin D

vitamin D deficiency

routine

An evidence-based recommendation against routine testing for Vitamin D deficiency. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Laura is a 40-year-old engineer of eastern European ancestry who presents to your office to request testing of her vitamin D levels. She generally wears sunscreen in the summer and wears sun-protective clothing year round. She is fairly healthy, eating a balanced diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, but experiences migraines for which she takes triptans for rescue about 4 times per year. She and her partner own a house in a middle-class neighbourhood where they live with their son. Laura informs you that her mother has been taking vitamin D supplements for many years based on her doctor’s recommendations to improve her bone health. Additionally, Laura tells you that her neighbour, a nurse about her age, recently had her vitamin D levels checked and they were “very low,” so she has considered starting vitamin D supplementation.

Laura is hoping that by testing her vitamin D levels she will know how much supplementation she needs to take to protect her from COVID-19, cancer, and fractures as she gets older. Laura is worried that her levels might be low because she avoids direct sunlight and is concerned that she may be missing an easy opportunity to improve her health with supplementation she can afford.

Author/s:

Singer, Alexander G., McChesney, Christopher