Hypervitaminosis D
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| ICD-10 | E67.3 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 278.4 |
| DiseasesDB | 13939 |
In terms of the likelihood of poisoning, Vitamin D seems to be one of the least poisonous substances known. Overdose occurs at more than 100 times the daily RDA (more or less a bottle of vitamin D tablets per day), for several months. Acute one-time overdose requires over 50mg (ten thousand times the RDA). Foods contain low levels, and have not been known to cause overdose. Overdose has occurred due to industrial accidents, for example when incorrectly formulated pills were sold or missing industrial concentrate cans misused as cans of milk.
Symptoms of vitamin D poisoning include:
- Dehydration
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite (anorexia)
- Irritability
- Constipation
- Fatigue
An excess of vitamin D causes abnormally high blood concentrations of calcium (hypercalcemia) which can eventually cause severe damage to the bones, soft tissues, and kidneys. It can also damage the kidney and produce kidney stones. Ongoing research indicates antagonism with oil soluble menatetrenone, MK-4, an internally transported natural form of vitamin K2, which is associated with bone formation and calcium retention in the bones.
Note: Hypervitaminosis D symptoms appear several months after excessive doses of vitamin D are administered, by which time the condition is usually very serious.
[edit] Comparative safety statistics
Deaths by vitamin poisoning appear to be quite rare in the US, typically none in a given year. However before 1998, several deaths per year were typically associated with pharmaceutical iron-containing supplements, especially brightly-colored, sugar-coated, high-potency iron supplements, and most deaths were children[1]. Unit packaging restrictions on supplements with more than 30 mg iron have since reduced deaths to 0 or 1 per year[2]. These statistics compare with 59 deaths due to aspirin poisoning in 2003, 147 deaths associated with acetaminophen-containing products in 2003, and an average of 54 deaths per year due to lightning for 1990-2003.
