Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency means the blood level of vitamin D is too low to support healthy bones, muscles, and immunity. It is the most common vitamin deficiency in India — studies repeatedly show 70–90% of urban adults, pregnant women, children, and older people are deficient.

Why it's so common in India

• Indoor work, long screen hours, little midday sun exposure.
• Darker skin needs much longer sun to make vitamin D.
• Covered clothing, winter months in northern India, monsoon cloud cover.
• Urban air pollution (especially in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai) blocks UV-B.
• Low intake of fish, eggs, and fortified dairy — especially in pure vegetarians.
• Ageing skin makes less vitamin D.

Symptoms

• Bone pain (lower back, hips, ribs), muscle aches and weakness.
• Difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from the floor.
• Fatigue, low mood.
• Frequent falls in older adults.
• In infants and young children — rickets: bowed legs, delayed walking, soft skull, swollen wrists.
• In adults — osteomalacia: soft, painful bones.
• Often no symptoms at all — the deficiency shows up on a blood test or after a fracture.

Diagnosis

• A single blood test — 25-hydroxy vitamin D — is enough. Deficiency is usually defined as under 20 ng/mL; insufficiency 20–30 ng/mL.
• Routine testing isn't needed for everyone, but ask your doctor if you have bone pain, are post-menopausal, have osteoporosis, chronic kidney or liver disease, or a baby with delayed milestones.

Treatment

• Correction: a short high-dose course (weekly tablet/sachet for 8 weeks) under medical supervision.
• Maintenance: daily low-dose vitamin D thereafter.
• Don't self-treat with monthly mega-doses from the chemist — vitamin D overdose can raise blood calcium dangerously, damage kidneys, and cause confusion and arrhythmia.
• Along with the supplement: daily midday sun 15–30 minutes on arms and face, oily fish/eggs/fortified dairy, and adequate calcium.

Prevention

• Breastfed babies: 400 IU vitamin D daily from birth — Indian paediatric guidelines recommend this routinely.
• Pregnant women: supplement under doctor's advice.
• Older adults, post-menopausal women, people with darker skin or limited sun access: regular low-dose vitamin D is sensible.