Excess vitamin D, or hypervitaminosis D, can increase calcium levels in the blood, causing symptoms such as lack of appetite, abdominal pain, high blood pressure, kidney stones and muscle weakness.
Excess vitamin D can be caused by prolonged intake of high doses of supplements or by health problems that increase the production of vitamin D in the body, such as lymphoma and granulomatous changes.
In the presence of symptoms that may indicate excess vitamin D, it is important to consult a general practitioner to assess the causes of this condition and recommend appropriate treatment, which may include stopping taking vitamin D and/or calcium supplements and using saline solution, for example.
Understand more about excess vitamin D in the following video:
Main symptoms
Excess vitamin D can cause the following symptoms:
- Lack of appetite;
- Nausea;
- Mental confusion;
- Dor abdominal;
- Constipation;
- Dehydration;
- Muscle weakness;
- Excessive thirst.
By unbalancing calcium levels in the body, excess vitamin D can also cause bone pain, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, kidney stones and, in some cases, kidney failure.
Skin symptoms
By causing dehydration, excess vitamin D can lead to the appearance of some skin symptoms, such as dryness, loss of elasticity and itching.
Excess vitamin D during pregnancy
Although it is rare, excess vitamin D during pregnancy can cause excess calcium in the blood, causing headaches, excessive tiredness and pre-eclampsia in women, for example. Understand more about hypercalcemia.
Furthermore, hypercalcemia during pregnancy can also lead to developmental delay, cardiovascular problems, decreased blood calcium levels, muscle spasms and, in more serious cases, death of the baby.
How to identify excess vitamin D
To identify excess vitamin D, it is important to consult a general practitioner, who will evaluate the symptoms and signs presented, the use of supplements and the person’s health history.
If you want to check if you have excess vitamin D, make an appointment with the doctor closest to you:
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To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor also requests a vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and parathyroid hormone test. In cases of excess vitamin D, blood levels of 25(OH)D are usually above 100 ng/mL.
In addition, the doctor may also request some imaging tests, such as ultrasound, computed tomography and X-ray, to assess the presence of kidney stones, calcification of blood vessels, heart and lung, for example.
Main causes
The main cause of excess vitamin D in the body is the intake of high doses of vitamin D supplements. Consumption of foods fortified with high doses of this vitamin can also cause excess vitamin D in the body.
Furthermore, excess vitamin D can also arise due to the body’s high production of this vitamin, as in cases of diseases such as lymphomas and granulomatous disorders, which are medical conditions characterized by the formation of clusters of inflammatory cells in the body.
How the treatment is carried out
Treatment of excess vitamin D must be carried out by a general practitioner or endocrinologist and includes stopping taking calcium and/or vitamin D supplements, administering saline solution and, in some cases, the use of medication and hemodialysis.
1. Medicines
In cases of severe hypercalcemia (serum calcium above 14mg/dL), the doctor may recommend calcitonin, a hormone that controls the amount of calcium in the blood. Learn more about calcitonin.
In addition, the doctor may also recommend the use of bisphosphonates, such as pamidronate and zoledronic acid, which are medications used to prevent the loss of bone mass.
The use of glucocorticoids, such as hydrocortisone or prednisone, is only indicated to treat excess vitamin D related to granulomatous disease. This medicine lowers blood calcium levels.
2. Saline
The administration of sterile 0.9% saline solution must be done directly into the vein, in hospitals, and is recommended by the doctor to combat dehydration and recover kidney function.
3. Hemodialysis
Severe hypercalcemia can cause acute renal failure in some cases. Thus, hemodialysis may be indicated to treat kidney failure or when blood calcium levels do not decrease with the indicated treatment. See how hemodialysis is performed.
