Pathophysiology – what happens when there is a vitamin D deficiency | Vitamin D deficiency

Pathophysiology – what happens when there is a vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D is formed from the precursor cholecalciferol, which is either taken in with food or formed by sunlight. This cholecalciferol then undergoes several reactions in the liver and kidneys until it is formed into the active vitamin D (also called calcitriol). In this form, vitamin D causes an increase in the calcium in the blood, as well as a mineralization, i.e. the structure, of the bones.

However, if vitamin D is missing, calcium (due to reactions) can only be absorbed in small quantities from food. This in turn leads to a calcium deficiency in the blood, which must be compensated for by various counter-regulatory mechanisms. For this the human body pours out in high quantities the parathormone, which has the task “calcium ready to place”.

For this purpose, the parathormone uses its ability to mobilize calcium from the bones. In other words: the bone is broken down to maintain the total calcium in the blood. This phenomenon is called secondary hyperparathyroidism. The consequence of this overregulation of the parathyroid hormone, however, is an increasing breakdown of the bone (demineralization), resulting in thin, brittle bones and consequently bone fractures. To prevent such an effect, it is important to have sufficient vitamin D in the body.

Consequences of vitamin D deficiency

Meanwhile there are many studies which prove that a Vitamin D deficiency can lead to various diseases. Among the typical consequences of a Vitamin D deficiency one ranks today among other things cardiovascular diseases, various cancer illnesses and immune defects, which can accompany again with different autoimmune illnesses, like multiple Sklerose or diabetes type 1. Of course a Vitamin D deficiency alone is not the cause of these diseases, but a lack of Vitamin D can be involved in the development of these diseases.

Studies showed that Vitamin D has an anti-inflammatory and vessel-protecting effect, which prevents cardiovascular diseases and can protect also against cancer illnesses such as intestine, Prostata and cancer of the breast. Both the overdose but also the lack of vitamin D can lead to diarrhoea. Under certain circumstances, intervention by a doctor may be necessary.

There are many causes for hair loss. Examples are thyroid diseases, side effects of medication, stress or psychological strain. Often, however, there is also a vitamin D deficiency behind it.To understand how a vitamin D deficiency affects hair growth, it is necessary to understand the hair growth cycle.

The three phases of this cycle are: the anagen, catagen and telogen phases. In the catagen phase (or transition phase), hair growth stops, while in the telogen phase, hair dies and falls out. Studies have shown that a vitamin D deficiency can upset the individual phases. The result is that the individual phases can be variably lengthened or shortened, and the telegon phase (death of the hair), for example, begins earlier. The result is hair loss.