Vitamin D Test Cost, Purpose, Procedure, and Test Result Interpretation

Do you know just like plants make their food using water and sunlight human beings can also make an essential nutrient when exposed to sunlight? Yes, you heard it right. Vitamin d is naturally produced when we expose ourselves to sunlight and that is why it is also called sunshine vitamin.

Research proves that sunlight is the natural source of vitamin d production in our bodies.

Vitamin d sometimes called calciferol is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin d comes in two forms: one is vitamin D2 and the other is vitamin d3. Vitamin d2 is also called ergocalciferol and vitamin d3 is also known as cholecalciferol.

We get vitamin d2 from plant-based foods and vitamin d3 from animal-based foods. The best sources of vitamin d2 from mushrooms and yeast whereas vitamin d3 comes from fatty fish, egg yolks, mackerel, tuna, etc.

Both the forms of vitamin d are important for our body as it increases the total amount of vitamin d in our body and therefore we must check that its daily uptake is in appropriate quantities.

Let me tell you a few benefits of vitamin d:

• It regulates the intake of calcium and phosphate from food as calcium is essential for bones health whereas serum phosphorus is required for healthy bones, teeth, muscles, and nerves.
• It boosts immunity by helping the immune system fight bacteria and viruses. Research shows that it helps ward off acute respiratory infection, pneumonia, and possibly Covid-19.
• It boosts mood by energizing your body.
• It keeps your heart healthy.
• It helps reduce inflammation.

An inappropriate amount of vitamin d can cause various diseases like

• Rickets
• Low bone density causes osteoporosis and brittle bone
• Osteomalacia ( causes weak bones, bone pain, and muscle weakness)

Even an excessive amount of vitamin d is also not good for our health. It leads to vitamin d toxicity. 

Vitamin d toxicity can result in kidney damage.

High amounts of vitamin d elevate the amount of calcium, thus leading to hypercalcemia. 

Hypercalcemia causes confusion, disorientation, and problems with heart rhythm.

Since proper quantities of vitamin d are required in our body, so it becomes essential that we check their levels in our body. But how do we do that?

Well, we have a very simple blood test known as the vitamin d test. Let me explain to you in detail the following points as it will help you understand the test very clearly.

• Vitamin D Test – Overview
• Why Should You Undergo a Vitamin D Test?
• Vitamin D Test Procedure
• What to expect before, during, and after a Vitamin D test?
• How to interpret the Vitamin D test results?
• All you need to know about the Vitamin D3 test cost
• How HealthcareOnTime can help?

Vitamin D Test – Overview

The Vitamin D test is a blood test that is used by healthcare professionals to check the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the best indicator to know the actual levels of vitamin d present in our body. 

With help of vitamin d tests, we get to know whether we have a deficiency, insufficiency, toxic or normal levels in our body.

Why Should You Undergo a Vitamin D Test?

I have already told you the importance of vitamin d in our body. Thus, our doctors recommend we undergo a vitamin d test when 

• You show symptoms of vitamin d deficiency in your body: like muscle weakness, muscle pain, muscle cramps, bone pain, mood swings, fatigue, tiredness, bone fractures, gum and teeth problems, and frequent infections due to low immunity.
• People who are at risk of having low vitamin d like: persons who get less  exposure to sunlight like pregnant women, elderly persons, who prefer indoor activities, who wear masks on their face or apply sunscreen when outside their house.

• abnormal production and absorption of vitamin d, 
• certain medicines like laxatives, steroids (such as prednisone),cholesterol-lowering drugs (such as cholestyramine and colestipol),seizure-control drugs (such as phenobarbital and phenytoin), rifampin (a tuberculosis drug), orlistat (a weight-loss drug).
• Certain diseases cause vitamin d deficiency in the body like celiac disease, Cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, kidney disease, and liver disease. Also, obesity can lead to malabsorption of vitamin d in our bodies.

• If someone has osteoporosis and undergoing vitamin d therapy, then we need to monitor the levels of vitamin d in their body.
• If someone is on calcium, magnesium, vitamin d, and phosphorus supplements then also we need monitoring of vitamin d levels in the body.
• Also, parathormone produced by the parathyroid gland is monitored as it regulates the level of calcium in our body. 

Vitamin D Test Procedure

A Vitamin D test is a very simple blood tests performed by a healthcare provider in a diagnostic lab. 

The test includes the following steps:

• A band is tied around your arm and you are asked to make a fist. This makes the veins visible and easy to locate as it swells with blood.
• Then the area from where the blood will be taken is cleaned with antiseptic and cotton.
• Now, the healthcare provider will draw blood using a syringe in a tube.
• The blood samples will be sent for testing purposes.

 What to expect before, during, and after a Vitamin D test?

Before a Vitamin D test

Before you go for any test you must research the best healthcare facility in terms of infrastructure, location, and price of the test. I always research which pathology lab or diagnostic is near my house and also provides quality service at an affordable price. Then, I book my appointment with that lab. 

Therefore, you also should do this before going for a vitamin d test. 

Well, I can help you here. I know a pathology lab that is spread across the country with the best infrastructure and provides quality service at an affordable rate. The name of the lab is HealthcareOnTime. Their vitamin d test prices is very reasonable.

During a Vitamin D test

During the vitamin d test, one must carry all the important documents to the lab. At the lab, you will be asked to fill out a form that requires your consent for the test. After the form is filled, the patient is then taken for the test.

After a Vitamin D test

After the test, you will be asked to sit quietly for a while to check for after-effects of the test like dizziness, rash, fatigue, etc. 

If everything is fine then the patient can go home and wait for the test results.

How to interpret the Vitamin D test results?

The vitamin d test results consist the information about the amount of vitamin d present in the body with its reference value. 

All you need to know about the Vitamin D3 test cost

The vitamin d3 test cost depends on the location and diagnostic lab you want to perform the test. The average vitamin d test cost in India is Rs. 2800.

But if you book your test at HealthcareOnTime, then you get a vitamin d3 test at only Rs. 900.

How HealthcareOnTime can help?

HealthcareOnTime is a leading diagnostic centre that provides quality service at an affordable rate as we have seen the vitamin d3 test price. How cheap and affordable it is?

 It is the only lab in India that has CAP-accredited labs, NABL, and ISO certifications. Therefore, they guarantee you correct lab results. The tests are also performed by qualified healthcare professionals.

Also, they provide various healthcare packages, and testing options like at-home tests, including 24/7 online and phone booking facilities. 

If you wish to avail of vitamin d test services you can call them anytime or clear your doubts by visiting their Facebook page.

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