D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency has become a worldwide problem. It is estimated that about one billion people have inadequate levels of Vitamin D in their blood. One of the major reasons for this deficiency is lack of adequate exposure to the sunlight and the fact that not enough food containing sufficient amounts of Vitamin D is being taken to satisfy the daily body requirements. Healthcare professionals widely recognise the Vitamin D deficiency as a contributing factor for many diseases because it has a major disease-fighting role.

Not too many people realise that they are Vitamin D deficient, mainly because a very small percentage of physicians prescribe this test for patients. The diagnostic kits for Vitamin D are expensive, and in Pakistan, a Vitamin D test costs around Rs2,500. It is time we prepared diagnostic kits locally in order to reduce the cost of the test.

Aleem Ahmed

Islamabad