Literature review: are we over-screening for deficiency in vitamin D?
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Literature review: are we over-screening for deficiency in vitamin D?

Jamie Hum Family nurse practitioner, School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York NY, United States
Michelle Ellis Family nurse practitioner, School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York NY, United States

Vitamin D plays a role in the absorption of calcium and in maintaining healthy bones. It has recently been suggested that deficiency in vitamin D is linked to other diseases, such as colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Population-screening for vitamin D deficiency has also been increasing.

The authors' review of published guidelines found no evidence to support population-screening in adult primary care, only that adult patients who are at risk or show signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in primary care should be screened. Those patients deficient in vitamin D should be treated according to current guidelines.

Primary Health Care. 27, 8, 30-34. doi: 10.7748/phc.2017.e1220

Correspondence

jnh2125@columbia.edu

Conflict of interest

None declared

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 20 September 2016

Accepted: 24 April 2017

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