Vitamin D Dosing: Basic Principles and a Brief Algorithm (2021 Update)

Nutrients. 2021 Dec 10;13(12):4415. doi: 10.3390/nu13124415.

Abstract

Nowadays, in modern societies, many people can be at high risk to have low vitamin D levels. Therefore, testing of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25OH-D) levels should be performed before prescribing them vitamin D supplementation. However, in some cases the 25OH-D level assessment is not available at the right moment, e.g., due to mandatory quarantine of COVID-19 outpatients. Therefore, such patients could be advised to start taking moderate vitamin D doses (e.g., 4000 IU/day for adults), and their 25-OH-D levels could be checked later. The proposed algorithm also comprises vitamin D dosing principles when baseline 25OH-D levels are known.

Keywords: COVID-19; calcidiol; supplementation; vitamin D.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms*
  • COVID-19 / blood*
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
  • Humans
  • SARS-CoV-2 / metabolism*
  • Vitamin D / analogs & derivatives*
  • Vitamin D / blood
  • Vitamin D / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Vitamin D
  • 25-hydroxyvitamin D