Vitamin D Testing (CE)

Program Summary: This course will present an overview of vitamin D metabolism and the vitamin's biological roles in the human body with emphasis on testing methods to identify and quantify vitamin D deficiency status. The major vitamin D testing methods will be described and their performance characteristics compared for the ability to accurately and reliably assess vitamin D status.

Goal and Objectives

Goal

The goals of this course are to (1) present an overview of the metabolism of Vitamin D in the body, (2) describe its biological roles, (3) understand the meaning of vitamin D deficiency, and (4) review the major testing methods used to assess vitamin D status.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be able to:

1. To identify the biological active forms of vitamin D in the body and their metabolic roles.
2. To describe the daily dietary requirements and sources for vitamin D.
3. To define and describe vitamin D deficiency and toxicity.
4. To identify the body's best indicator of vitamin D status and the health risks associated with various vitamin D serum levels.
5. To describe the major testing methods for vitamin D and their performance characteristics. To discuss recent efforts to standardize vitamin D testing.
6. To identify and describe the "gold standard" and "reference" methods for vitamin D testing.
7. To describe testing or methodological issues or controversies.
8. To define the suggested "reference ranges" for serum vitamin D levels and describe their clinical significance and health risks.