Those taking oral steroids twice as likely to have vitamin D deficiency

Washington, new study has revealed that people taking oral steroids are twice as likely as the general population to have severe vitamin D deficiency.

According to a study of more than 31,000 children and adults by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, physicians should diligently monitor Vitamin D levels in patients being treated with oral steroids.

When doctors write that prescription for steroids and theyre sending the patients for lab tests, they should also get the vitamin D level measured, Amy Skversky, the lead author said.

The researchers examined data collected from participants who had participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2006.

About one percent of the participants answered yes when asked if they had used oral steroids during the previous 30 days, whereas eleven percent of the self-reported steroid users had severely low vitamin D levels compared to a severe vitamin D deficiency of 5 percent for people not taking steroids, which showed a two-fold increased risk for severe vitamin D deficiency.

The risk of deficiency was particularly pronounced in steroid users under the age of 18, who were 14 times more likely to have a severe vitamin D deficiency compared with young non-steroid users.