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A medical mystery involving a Canadian was resolved when doctors realized that he was taking excessive amounts of vitamin D for over two years.
The experiences of this man are detailed in a new case study published Monday in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
According to the case study, this man's doctor sent him to a kidney specialist after discovering that the 54-year-old patient was producing nearly four times the normal level of creatinine, a waste often measured to determine if the kidneys work properly.
The doctor suspected that excess creatinine may have been caused by the six to eight hours a day recently spent by this man sunbathing during his two-week vacation in Asia. However, her creatinine levels had increased significantly after her return to Canada.
The tests ordered by the specialist showed that in addition to the creatinine problem, the man had also developed hypercalcemia – an overabundance of calcium in the blood. When the doctors started asking him more detailed questions about his health, they discovered the real cause of his problems.
The man said he had consulted a naturopath who had advised him to take eight drops of a specific vitamin D supplement, while he had no documented medical reason for needing it.
Vitamin D is known in certain environments as the "sun vitamin" and is usually prescribed to improve bone health. The case study shows that it could also improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of infection, although these assertions are not scientifically substantiated.
Vitamin n is available in significant amounts only through a handful of foods, including salmon and swordfish. It is also produced by the human body when it is exposed to the sun, which can be a challenge in Canada, especially in winter. As a result, many Canadians are taking vitamin D supplements.
The man in the case study took the supplement for two and a half years, sometimes up to 12 drops a day. He had also accidentally bought a supplement containing twice as much vitamin as his naturopath had recommended.
This meant that the man generally received between 8,000 and 12,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day. Osteoporosis Canada recommends maximum daily vitamin D intake of 1,000 IU for most low-risk adults and 2,000 IU for high-risk adults and the elderly.
"According to him, more vitamin D would strengthen the bones, and this is not necessarily the case if someone has not documented a vitamin D deficiency," said Monday at CTV News Channel, Dr. Bourne Auguste, one of the authors of the study.
The man said his naturopath never warned him about the toxicity of vitamin D, which can cause hypercalcemia, which can in turn weaken the bones and cause kidney stones, among other common symptoms.
Vitamin is poisonous when a person takes more vitamins than his system can withstand. Tens of thousands of cases are reported each year in the United States.
"High doses of any vitamin … can cause toxicity," Auguste said.
The doctors ordered the man to stop taking all the vitamin D supplements and remove the calcium-rich foods from his diet. He was also prescribed hydroxychloroquine tablets.
The man's calcium and vitamin D levels have returned to normal after about a year, although he continues to live with stage 3 chronic kidney disease.
"Patients and clinicians should be better informed about the risks associated with the unhindered use of vitamin D," the case study authors wrote, adding that new Canadian guidelines on vitamin should be considered.
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