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Vitamin D test: Can prevent illness complications

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

While having a vitamin D deficiency can lead to certain unhealthy conditions, new research has emerged that suggests too little of the so-called sunshine vitamin may significantly impact patients suffering from a particular disease.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota recently published a study in the July Issue of the American Journal of Hematology and found that having adequate levels of vitamin D may be significantly important for patients suffering from multiple myeloma, Reuters reports.

A total of 148 patients who were diagnosed with the condition participated in the study and the researchers determined that 24 percent of them had a vitamin D deficiency, according to the article. In these subjects, it was found that they had higher mean values of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatinine.

"Both CRP and creatinine levels have been shown to predict prognosis in multiple myeloma, with higher levels of both CRP and creatinine shown to portend poorer outcomes and survival," Dr Matthew T. Drake, lead author, told the news provider.

Though more research is needed in this issue, it still may be important for people to get a vitamin D test to ensure their levels aren't low.