VITAMIN D ESTIMATION: PROTOCOLS, CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Vitamin D, a pro-hormone, is not only important for bone health, but is also involved in other diseases such as multiple
sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, type I diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and a variety of cancers. These
findings have emphasized the need for determining vitamin D status in a convenient and cost-effective way. Measurement
of vitamin D is not an easy task or straightforward procedure. There are many issues/challenges related to
the testing procedure like different sources and metabolites, lack of harmonization between different methods and
structural problems. In this context, present review highlights the importance of vitamin D determination in human
health and diseases related to its deficiency. Problems associated with vitamin D measurements are also being described.
Available methods of vitamin D determination were critically compared in order to gather logical suggestions
for reliable and accurate determination. According to the reviewed literature in this regard, inexpensive and
high output methods like Diasorin Liaison Total can be employed for routine use, however, low readings need to be
repeated by LCMS, as the performance of Diasorin Liaison Total drops significantly with very low reading. In addition,
more work should be done on standardization.