UK Woman, 23, Collapses at Work After Vitamin D Levels Fall to Near Zero
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Oct 30
UK Woman, 23, Collapses at Work After Vitamin D Levels Fall to Near Zero
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Oct 30
Summary
Blood tests showed 23-year-old Saskia Reeves-Priestley had vitamin D levels "next to nothing" after she collapsed at work with dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations and overheating.
Doctors and researchers say deficiency is often missed because symptoms can look nonspecific—fatigue, joint pain and bone pain—even as it silently weakens bones and raises fracture risk.
UK data show the problem is rising in some groups: nearly a quarter of 11- to 18-year-olds were classed as deficient last year, especially girls and young women.
Clinicians in ACT NOW Vitamin D want the deficiency threshold raised to catch more cases earlier, while other experts are urging wider food fortification and routine supplementation for higher-risk groups.
Vitamin D comes mainly from sunlight rather than diet, leaving levels vulnerable to winter, limited sun exposure, darker skin and covering up; Reeves-Priestley is now taking supplements and has returned to football.