Vitamin D

I was listening to the Archers and left Radio 4 running. My ears pricked up when I heard these words:

“A growing body of evidence suggests we may need more Vitamin D. But since access to the sun is limited and people are wary of skin cancer, should we be fortifying more foods with Vitamin D or consuming supplements?

Health professionals have been appalled at the return of rickets in some communities and studies have shown that infants can be at risk of heart failure if the mother is lacking in Vitamin D. Current guidelines are based on the avoidance of rickets

rather than on an optimal amount of Vitamin D for health.

Why is the UK apparently behind other countries in its recommendations and in supplementation and fortification of foods - and does this need to change?”

(Producer: Margaret Collins.BBC Radio 4 Sunday 1 August 2010 Food Programme).

After listening to this programme I made some enquiries and found this information on the web:

Health Research Forum - www.healthresearchforum.org.uk

MRC Human Nutrition Unit, Cambridge www.mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk

UCL Institute of Child Health www.ich.ucl.ac.uk

Multiple Sclerosis Society www.mssociety.org.uk

Vitamin D Council www.vitamindcouncil.org

I then emailed Eileen, whom I had met at the launch. Eileen has degrees in both Bio-Chemistry and Physiology. Eileen looked into it further and discovered that anyone living North of Tuscany (latitude) does not get enough Vitamin D from natural sources.

The USA adds fortification to foods as did the UK right through WW11 and into the late 50’s early 60’s.

I asked a direct question of Professor Bhaskhar Dasgupta and his response was:

“Whilst there is no evidence that Vit D deficiency causes PMR, Vit D deficiency can cause aches and pains which can be confused with PMR and therefore should be checked and the levels corrected where appropriate”.

In late September I had pains in my legs and then began to ache in every muscle and bone. I thought, oh no, after all this time with GCA, am I developing PMR?

A visit to my GP was necessary, we discussed the problem and I asked for a Vitamin D test. The GP agreed to this and the result was that I had low Vitamin D levels. The actual reading was 20 and the normal is between 48 – 145 in our Hospital Trust area.

My GP wanted to prescribe Calcichew, but I told him that the Vitamin D contained in those tablets was nowhere near what I was looking for. According to the research Eileen and myself had done and looking at other patients experiences, a dose of at least 40,000 units per day was necessary. My GP then consulted my Rheumatologist and back came the answer that Dekristol (Vitamin D) could now be prescribed in Primary Care in the Gateshead PCT area. The dose to start off with was 20,000 units, twice a day for 10 days followed by another blood test. The prescription was duly written and sent to the Chemist. They were delivered in two days and within 5 days of starting the treatment, the aches and pain had disappeared by about 60%, by the end of the course 90%. I am now awaiting on the result of the second blood test.

Good news that it was not PMR.

I wanted to share this with you all, as part of the problem is that, apart from not getting enough sun (which is 20 minutes per day – without slip, slap, slop) older people do not sit in the sun very much and also after we get to 60 our body is less able to hold onto or produce Vitamin D.

So whether you have PMR or not, if you get aches and pains, it is not probably down to ‘old age’ more likely Vitamin D deficiency.

Look After Yourself – knowledge is power. By M Smith a GCA Patient.