Ukrainian Consensus on Diagnosis and Management of Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a global problem, however, there were no Ukrainian guidelines devoted to its screening, prevention, and treatment, which became the reason for the Consensus creation. This article aimed to present the Consensus of Ukrainian experts devoted to VDD management. Following the creation of the multidisciplinary Consensus group, consent on the formation process, drafting and fine-tuning of key recommendations, and two rounds of voting, 14 final recommendations were successfully voted upon. Despite a recent decrease in VDD prevalence in Ukraine, we recommend raising awareness regarding VDD’s importance and improving the strategies for its decline. We recommend screening the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level in risk groups while maintaining a target concentration of 75–125 nmol/L (30–50 ng/mL). We recommend prophylactic cholecalciferol supplementation (800–2000 IU/d for youthful healthy subjects, and 3000–5000 IU/d for subjects from the risk groups). For a VDD treatment, we recommend a short-term administration of increased doses of cholecalciferol (4000–10,000 IU/d) with 25(OH)D levels monitored after 4–12 weeks of treatment, followed by the use of maintenance doses. Additionally, we recommend assessing serum 25(OH)D levels before antiosteoporotic treatment and providing vitamin D and calcium supplementation throughout the full course of the antiosteoporotic therapy.