UVB exposure Sun tanning Light therapy Exposure to photons (light) at specific wavelengths of narrowband UVB enables the body to produce vitamin D to treat<unk> . Supplement Vitamin D2 supplements In the United States and Canada as of 2016, the amount of vitamin D recommended is 400 IU per day for children, 600 IU per day for adults, and 800 IU per day for people over age 70. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding women consider taking 2000 IU/day, that all babies who are exclusively breastfed receive a supplement of 400 IU/day, and that babies living north of 55°N get 800 IU/day from October to April. Treating<unk>  depends on the severity of the deficit. Treatment involves an initial high-dosage treatment phase until the required serum levels are reached, followed by the maintenance of the acquired levels. The lower the 25(OH)D serum concentration is before treatment, the higher is the dosage that is needed in order to quickly reach an acceptable serum level. The initial high-dosage treatment can be given on a daily or weekly basis or can be given in form of one or several single doses (also known as stoss therapy, from the German word Stoß, meaning "push"). Therapy prescriptions vary, and there is no consensus yet on how best to arrive at an optimum serum level. While there is evidence that vitamin D3 raises 25(OH)D blood levels more effectively than vitamin D2, other evidence indicates that D2 and D3 are equal for maintaining 25(OH)D status. Initial phase Daily or weekly or monthly dose For treating rickets, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that pediatric patients receive an initial two- to three-month treatment of "high-dose" vitamin D therapy. In this regime, the daily dose of cholecalciferol is 1,000 IU for newborns, 1,000 to 5,000 IU for 1- to 12-month-old infants, and 5,000 IU for patients over 1 year of age. For adults, other dosages have been called for. A review of 2008/2009 recommended dosages of 1,000 IU cholecalciferol per 10 ng/ml required serum increase, to be given daily over two to three months. In another proposed cholecalciferol loading dose guideline for vitamin D-deficient adults, a weekly dosage is given, up to a total amount that is proportional to the required serum increase (up to the level of 75 nml/l) and within certain body weight limits, to body weight. According to new data and practices relevant to vitamin D levels in the general population in France, to establish optimal vitamin D status and frequency of intermittent supplement dosing, patients with or at high risk for osteoporosis and<unk>  should start supplementation with a loading phase consisting of 50,000 IU weekly of vitamin D for 8 weeks in patients with levels 37.5° latitude), obese patients, and those on certain medications. Special cases To maintain blood levels of calcium, therapeutic vitamin D doses are sometimes administered (up to 100,000 IU or 2.5 mg daily) to patients who have had their parathyroid glands removed (most commonly kidney dialysis patients who have had tertiary hyperparathyroidism, but also to patients with primary hyperparathyroidism) or with hypoparathyroidism. Patients with chronic liver disease or intestinal malabsorption disorders may also require larger doses of vitamin D (up to 40,000 IU or 1 mg (1000 micrograms) daily).
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D toxicity
Endocrine bone disease
Metabolic bone disease
Disorders of calcium metabolism
Steroid-induced osteoporosis
Molybdenum deficiency
Mineral deficiency