A former Safdarjung Orthopedic doctor has warned against overconsumption of vitamin D, which led to a healthy and fit young woman suffering from extreme kidney failure and heart trouble.
According to Dr Obaid Rehman, a 29-year-old was diagnosed with cholecalciferol toxicity, a dangerous condition caused by an excessive intake of vitamin D, which can be even life-threatening.
“She was just 29. Bright, ambitious, the kind of person who looked like health itself. Gym five days a week, clean meals, and not a single bad habit. If you saw her, you’d think `this girl will live to 100′.” Dr Rehman wrote on Instagram. “But when she sat across from me in the clinic… something didn’t add up. She said she was always nauseated, and some nights her heart raced so badly she couldn’t sleep. Other days, she was so exhausted, she could barely climb stairs,” he added.
Dr Rehman said earlier her family thought all her symptoms were due to stress and working too much. But later, when she began experiencing swelling in her legs, a puffed-up face, and frequent urination, she decided to get herself checked.
However, one afternoon, the girl collapsed at work, and when a thorough investigation was done, her reports shocked everyone. “Her kidneys were failing, calcium levels were dangerously high, and her heart was unstable,” wrote Dr Rehman. Initially, it was feared she had cancer, but finally, she was diagnosed with vitamin D toxicity. It happened as the woman was taking supplement pills without a prescription and a dose she did not monitor.
What is vitamin D toxicity?
Vitamin D toxicity, also known as hypervitaminosis D, happens when you have too much vitamin D in your body. It is a rare complication that most often happens from taking higher-than-prescribed amounts of prescription vitamin D or too much of a self-prescribed over-the-counter supplement. Excess vitamin D leads to hypercalcemia, which is what causes symptoms. According to experts, apart from kidney failure, vitamin D toxicity causes abnormal heart rhythm, unsteady gait, and confusion.
The dose of vitamin D you need to take to produce toxic signs and symptoms varies greatly. It can occur with as little as 2,000 international units per day (IU/d) in susceptible people. Healthy daily requirements for vitamin D include:
- For those aged 19 to 50 years – 600 IU/d
- For those aged 50 to 70 years – at least 600 IU/d
- For those older than 70 years, at least 800 IU/d
- The maximum suggested daily requirement is 4,000 IU/d for healthy adults.
Signs and symptoms of vitamin D toxicity
A few symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, mainly due to hypercalcemia, include:
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Dehydration
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Confusion, lethargy, and fatigue
- Muscle weakness and difficulty walking
- Bone pain
- Kidney stones
Ways to treat vitamin D toxicity
A few ways you can treat vitamin D toxicity mainly involve lowering the level of calcium in your blood. To do this, your doctor will:
- Have you stopped taking all vitamin D and calcium supplements until further notice
- Give you IV fluids to treat dehydration.
- Give you corticosteroids and bisphosphonates in cases of severe toxicity to block bone resorption.
- In rare cases, due to significant kidney damage, you may need hemodialysis to get rid of excessive calcium.