25-OH Vitamin D (TOTAL) Test

What is a 25-OH Vitamin D test?

Vitamin D is extremely important for the health of bones and teeth. Our body gets Vitamin D during the hours of exposure to sunlight. Apart from that, egg yolks and fatty fish are known as two of the most natural sources of Vitamin D in a human body. However, sometimes the medical experts also suggest consuming Vitamin D supplements as that is also a rich source of vitamin D.

Lack of vitamin D in a human body can be harmful and it can be the reason for bone disorders as well as a few other health conditions. The 25-Oh Vitamin D test is the most effective way of measuring the amount of vitamin D in your blood.

Which diseases can be detected through this test?

• Osteomalacia, soft bones
• Rickets
• Low bone density

Which people are more likely to face a vitamin d deficiency?

• People who have dark skin
• People who are older than 65 years of age
• People who are suffering from obesity
• People who have undergone through any weight loss surgery
• People who are on certain types of medications that may affect the Vitamin D levels
• People who are suffering from conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease or ulcerative colitis that makes their body more challenging to absorb nutrients from foods
• People who are suffering from liver or kidney diseases
• People who don’t expose their skin much to sunlight

The risks of facing vitamin D deficiency is also high in

• Children who are only fed breast milk.
• Children who are having a diet low in Vitamin D
• Children having dark skin and belonging to areas that do not get exposed to sufficient sunlight

When to go for this test?

When the primary signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency start to get visible in your body, then the medical experts may suggest you to go for a Vitamin D test. Some of the major signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency may include

• Muscle weakness
• Muscle ache
• Bone pain
• Weak bones
• Soft bones
• Deformed bones
• Fractures
• Low bone density
• Tiredness

Test preparations

No specific preparations are required before appearing for a 25-OH Vitamin D test near you. You must not forget to mention the names of all the medications you are taking when you appear for this test. Also, it would be a wise decision to have a consultation with the healthcare professionals to know if there are any other guidelines to be followed before appearing for the test. Fortunately, the Vitamin D test price is very affordable these days all over the country.

Sample requirements

A certain amount of blood will be drawn from your vein through a syringe by a healthcare professional. Your blood sample will be sent to the laboratory for testing purposes. Once the test process is done, the test result will be generated shortly.

Are there any risks associated with this test?

You may feel a little pain or bruising at the injection site or a little bit of discomfort when the blood is being fetched from your vein. However, such complexities are temporary and do not last much long. You may consult a genuine and reliable doctor if you feel any serious uneasiness after the blood sample collection process.

Result interpretation

The test report will show the levels of Vitamin d in your body.

• The normal range of Vitamin D in the body is between 20 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL
• Less than 12 ng/mL is considered as a deficiency.
• If the levels of Vitamin D is higher than 50 ng/mL then it means your body has highly elevated levels of Vitamin D.

What can be the reason for low Vitamin D in your body?

You may have the deficiency of Vitamin D in your body if

• Your intestines are not absorbing enough vitamin D
• You are not having a diet that fulfills your need of Vitamin D
• You don’t expose much to sunlight
• You have kidney or liver diseases that are causing trouble to change Vitamin D into a form that can be used by your body.