Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency

V diplomski nalogi je predstavljeno aktualno stanje vitamina D po svetu, ki je odvisno od več dejavnikov. Ti so količina razpoložljive ultravijolične B svetlobe in dejanska izpostavljenost, pigmentacija kože, uporaba zaščitnih sredstev ter oblačil, prehrana, uživanje prehranskih dopolnil in zdravil. Vsi ti so upoštevani v nedavnih raziskavah, ki nakazujejo na to, da kar 40 % Evropejcev v telesu nima zadostne količine vitamina D, 13 % teh pa jih je v kritičnem stanju pomanjkanja. Kljub široko razširjeni prevalenci pomanjkanja vitamina D, pa njena pomembnost in pomen dodajanja po svetu še vedno nista poenotena. To je verjetno posledica več različnih dejavnikov, od neustrezne izbrane raziskovalne metodologije, do načina in izbora laboratorijskih metod za določanje statusa vitamina D in izbora preiskovancev, tudi takih, ki sicer niso kazali znake pomanjkanja vitamina D. Prav zato pri njih v izvedenih kliničnih študijah ni bilo mogoče dokazati koristi jemanja prehranskih dopolnil z vitaminom D. Kljub temu pa je znano, da je status vitamina v našem telesu tesno povezano tako s kroničnimi boleznimi kot akutnimi stanji. Predvsem so ogroženi otroci z nizko porodno maso, nosečnice, starejše prebivalstvo in migranti, predvsem tisti, ki se selijo v severne kraje. Glede na dobljene podatke lahko ocenimo, da je prevalenca pomanjkanja vitamina D prisotna v različnih geografskih regijah. Kljub temu pa na nekaterih področjih še ni dovolj podatkov o statusu vitamina D pri posameznih skupinah. Prihodnost tako prinaša večje potrebe po sredstvih, namenjenimi raziskavam na področju dodajanja vitamina D s poudarkom na kritičnih skupinah.This thesis presents the current worldwide status of vitamin D, which depends on several factors. These include the amount of available ultraviolet B light and actual exposure, skin pigmentation, use of sunscreens and clothing, diet, use of dietary supplements and medications. All of these have been taken into account in recent studies which suggest that as many as 40 % of Europeans do not have enough vitamin D in their bodies, and 13 % of them are critically deficient. Despite the widespread prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, its importance and the importance of supplementation are still not uniform worldwide. This is probably due to several different factors, ranging from inadequate choice of research methodology, to the design and selection of laboratory methods for determining vitamin D status and the selection of subjects, including those who otherwise showed no signs of vitamin D deficiency. Nevertheless, it is known that the status of the vitamin in our bodies is related to both chronic diseases and acute conditions. Particularly at risk are children with low birth weight, pregnant women, the elderly and migrants, especially those moving to northern places. Based on the obtained data, it can be estimated that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is present in different geographical regions. However, in some areas there is still insufficient data on the vitamin D status of specific groups. The future therefore brings a greater need for resources dedicated to research on vitamin D supplementation, with a focus on critical groups