Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are manifested in various ways including chronic fatigue, heart disease, stroke, depression, weight loss, diabetes and osteoporosis. Another of the more serious vitamin D deficiency symptoms is rickets, a disease that affects the bones. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is created by sun exposure and found in various foods including egg yolk, fish, beef liver, cheese, fish oil and certain grains.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency in children

Vitamin D deficiency in children can be diagnosed from symptoms that include: low blood calcium levels, muscle cramps in babies, breathing difficulties and fragile bones that are prone to fractures. Other symptoms are the slow growth and development of the child, and teeth that refuse to come out and get delayed way beyond when they should cut through the gums. Sometimes more serious symptoms manifest themselves; in some children a deficiency causes heart problems because the heart muscles are weak. This can endanger the child’s life and is very serious. It is important that parents carefully monitor the child’s growth and ensure that the daily dose of vitamin D is given to the child.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency in women

Regardless of age or gender, vitamin D is very important for the body. In women the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are demonstrated through depressive behavior, seasonal affective disorders, mood swings during premenstrual syndrome, and in menopausal women through osteoporosis. In pregnant women, vitamin D is absolutely crucial for the fetus during the period during pregnancy.

Vitamin D is vital for women to prevent different types of cancers like breast cancer, ovarian cancer colon cancer and bladder cancer, by slowing the production of cancer cells. Some of these cancers are typically women issues and the need for vitamin D supplements may be recommended by the attending physician.

 Vitamin D deficiency symptoms in elderly people

The body structure changes with age and older people face a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. The symptoms of the deficiency are common in elderly people who are institutionalized or hospitalized. Statistics reveal that as much as 60 percent of elderly people in nursing homes and 57 percent of elderly people who are hospitalized have vitamin D deficiency. The deficiency can be seen in the loss of bone density, body strength and function. The homebound groups of older people who do not get sufficient vitamin D from sunlight exposure are at higher risk of having the vitamin deficiency. Various factors like inadequate diet, physiological changes that come with age, polypharmacy and other diseases can all cause a vitamin deficiency.

Extreme symptoms

Some of the more extreme symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include nervousness, sweating on the scalp, insomnia, burning of the mouth and throat, nearsightedness, diarrhea and mineral weakness of the bones. Though these extreme symptoms are more noticeable in developing countries and are seldom found in developed countries, they do exist in certain pockets of the population. Negligence of the problem can lead to rickets or osteomalcia (softening of the bones).

Vitamin supplements are one good way to ensure that you receive adequate amounts of Vitamin D if you fall into one of the at risk groups and are not able to receive sufficient amounts of Vitamin D in your diet.