Vitamin D deficiency in primary care

Vitamin D is required to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphate, which are in turn needed for the normal mineralization of bone, also play a role in muscle function, nerve conduction, the immune system and general cellular function in all cells of the body. Populations at risk for vitamin D deficiency are infants, adolescents, eldery, pregnant and lactating women. The actions of the vitamin D hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) are mediated by the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a ligand-activated transcription factor that functions to control gene expression. Epidemiological data underline a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and higher risk for chronic inflammatory illnesses or autoimmune diseases. Evidence is not sufficiently to draw conclusions regarding the benefits of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of cancer. Literature increasingly supports the inverse relationship of vitamin D level and diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease mortality.