Steroids can cause vitamin D deficiency

People who consume oral steroids may have a double risk of suffering from severe vitamin D deficiency compared to the general population. According to a study of more than 31,000 US American children and adults, about 11 percent of those who reported using steroid medications had severe vitamin D deficiency compared to the 5 percent who were not taking them. The risk appeared to be considerably higher for children. Steroid users who were under 18 years old were at a 14 percent higher risk of acute vitamin D deficiency than their young counterparts who didn't need to use these medications. Severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia (softening of the bones), rickets (softening of bones in children) or clinical myopathy (muscle weakness), warned researchers of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. According to the report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, steroids can increase levels of an enzyme that inactivates vitamin D. Findings did not apply to patients who used inhaled steroids and scientists say patients should not stop taking their medications as steroids play a crucial role in treatment of many severe and chronic diseases. On the other hand, however, the study recommended doctors monitor vitamin D levels of their patients who have been under oral steroid treatment for a long time. "When doctors write that prescription for steroids and they're sending the patients for lab tests, they should also get the vitamin D level measured," said study author Dr. Amy Skversky. New findings can help doctors decide about their treatment strategy including steroid doses and the length of use or adding medications or supplements such as vitamin D plus calcium which may be useful in preventing the side effects.