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Vitamin D Screening and Testing

Topic Summary

Vitamin D is a nutrient critical to human health. Vitamin D levels are influenced by diet, exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet radiation) and some disease processes. Testing for vitamin D requires a blood draw and laboratory assessment of levels. Vitamin D status may be related to numerous risk factors, conditions, and diseases. Testing might be performed for a variety of concerns including vitamin D insufficiency, risk of poor bone health, presence of conditions resulting in malabsorption or altered metabolism, and suspected toxicity.

Policy Context

There are questions about the accuracy and usefulness of tests for Vitamin D levels, especially in healthy subjects. Assessing vitamin D levels may be useful to influence diagnostic or treatment decisions in some circumstances, though the usefulness of testing is uncertain in others.

Primary Criteria Ranking

Safety = Low
Efficacy = High
Cost = High

Documents

Final Findings and Decision (405.2 KB)
Final Evidence Report (1.6 MB)
Final Key Questions (71.1 KB)
Key Question Comments (422 KB)