Scientists from McMaster have helped develop a more efficient way to screen for vitamin D deficiency that could become a tool in the fight against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
The research is published in the Journal of Lipid Research and was conducted by Philip Britz-McKibbin et al.
Studies show vitamin D is an important pro-hormone with a powerful impact on immune function and metabolic health.
Beyond its importance in bone health, vitamin D also plays a key role in stimulating immune responses to foreign pathogens while modulating inflammation.
There was a need for a cost-effective and rapid test that assesses vitamin D status from a blood sample.
In the study, the team developed a rapid method to identify vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children, who would likely benefit from vitamin D supplementation.
The current immunoassay system scientists are using has certain constraints related to precision and accuracy.
In this study, the team has developed a faster and more reliable method that is amenable to high throughput screening, unlike traditional methods.
This new screening method is extremely valuable for clinical trials evaluating therapeutic interventions in patients with vitamin D deficiency.
Routine vitamin D screening can take several days or is not routinely available at many Canadian hospitals.
If the study shows that high-dose vitamin D is beneficial for critically ill children, this screening method can better guide the treatment of vitamin D deficiency as standard care in Canadian pediatric intensive care units.
Having a rapid test to identify vitamin D deficiency is “crucial,”, particularly for cases of critically ill children, where delays in treatment may affect patient outcomes.
“This test is a major step in ensuring widespread testing is feasible and timely amongst the sickest children admitted to hospitals.
Researchers envision that home testing could be performed in the future using a finger pinprick of blood.
This supports personalized health initiatives to ensure optimal vitamin D status because treatment responses can vary widely between individuals.
If you care about supplements, please read studies about vitamin C that may help treat cognitive impairment, and vitamin D may benefit men with advanced cancer.
For more information about supplements, please see recent studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to severe COVID-19, and death and results showing six vitamins that help stop complications in diabetes.
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