A review of the growing risk of vitamin D toxicity from inappropriate practice

Summary

Vitamin D is a particularly important sterol hormone with evidence emerging of its beneficial effects well beyond bone. In consequence of this and increased global recognition of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, there has been a resurgence in treatment with vitamin D preparations. However, the increasing use of vitamin D treatments has also seen a substantial increase in the numbers of reports of vitamin D intoxication with the majority (75%) of reports published since 2010. Many of these cases are a consequence of inappropriate prescribing, the use of high dose over-the-counter preparations or unlicensed preparations. This review highlights that the majority of cases were preventable and discusses the inappropriate use of poorly formulated, and unlicensed vitamin D preparations.

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