Vitamins are essential nutrients that a person needs in small quantities to stay healthy and work properly. To maintain good health, vitamins must be ingested regularly as no other vitamins are synthesized in the body other than vitamin D. Overdosing of vitamins can lead to disease or Vitamins Toxicity. Vitamins are of two types- vitamin B and C are water-soluble vitamins and vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins have a higher risk of toxicity as it cannot be digested easily.
Definition
Vitamin toxicity is a condition in which a person abnormally develops high storage levels of vitamins, which can gradually lead to multiple toxic symptoms. The symptoms of vitamin toxicity usually vary in accordance with the doses of vitamins being taken by a person. Usually, people take high doses of vitamins for minor illnesses without the consultation of a doctor. The excessive popularity of vitamin medicines have led to more cases of vitamin toxicity (hypervitaminosis) being found in developed countries.
Which are the toxicity of vitamins or Vitamins Toxicity?
Fat-soluble vitamins:
- VITAMIN D: Nausea can be faced if you consume high doses of Vitamin D. It can also cause pain in joints, vomiting even loss of appetite. It is even reported to cause constipation with diarrhea or tingling in mouth. Overdose of Vitamin D can also cause damage to the lungs, heart and kidneys.
- VITAMIN A: Overdose of Vitamin A can cause vomiting, constipation, bone pain, and headaches. It is even reported to cause water accumulation in the brain also known as Hydrocephalus. While facing this you may also face rough and dry skin, hair loss and even brittle nails.
- VITAMIN K: High consumption of Vitamin K results in anemia. This results in reduced blood cell levels in the bloodstream.
- VITAMIN E: Although high doses of Vitamin E isn’t much problematic it can cause headaches, doubled vision, diarrhea and even headaches.
Water-soluble vitamins:
- VITAMIN B12: There have not been many cases of vitamin B12 toxicity for the patients being treated for pernicious anemia. But combining vitamin B12 with folic acid for anemia patients may cause a problem. The problem is that the folic acid treatment prevents the anemia from developing, but allows the eventual nerve damage to occur.
- VITAMIN B 6 : Vitamin B 6 overdoses can result in difficulty in walking, tingling sensations in the legs and soles of the feet, difficulty in handling objects, and numbness in the hands.
- VITAMIN C: The symptoms of vitamin C can be seen in persons with a family history to form kidney stones or gallbladder stones.
How to control vitamin toxicity with the help of the Genetic Test?
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that involves the genetic makeup of an individual to determine if they might have a poor response to a medication or even side effects from a medication. A genetic test report can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition regarding a person’s genetic disease. It can help a doctor to prescribe medications with more information about what might be the right drug and the right dose for a particular patient.
Treatment
Vitamin supplements intake should be stopped immediately to treat vitamin toxicity. The intake of vitamin D usually increases the calcium level in the bloodstream which is the cause of a higher level of plasma calcium in the body. So, the intake of vitamin D must be stopped to lower the plasma calcium (hyperkalemia). Severe hyperkalemia can be treated by infusing 0.9% sodium chloride solution into the patient's bloodstream.
Prevention
Vitamin toxicity can be prevented by lowering the intake of vitamin supplements. If vitamin D supplements are being used on a doctor's advice then vitamin toxicity can be prevented by monitoring the levels of plasma calcium.