The Technical and Clinical Benefits from Measuring 25 OH Vitamin D by LC- MS/MS

A dramatic explosion of interest in the clinical effects of Vitamin D and its metabolites in the past 5-10 years has stimulated a massive increase in requests for the measurement of 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D (25 OH D) in Clinical Chemistry laboratories throughout the world. Vitamin D can play an important role not only in the classical and well described area of bone health, where the re-emergence of rickets in population subgroups within the UK is a worrying problem and the role of 25 OH D in prevention of osteoporotic fractures is a major issue, but also in other disease areas where epidemiological and some outcome data suggests a strong association of low vitamin D status and disease such as diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, infection (immune status), allergy, asthma and cardiac function [1]. Supplementation studies have resulted in variable outcomes with the suggestion that the dose of vitamin D, change and final concentration of 25 OH D may be insufficient to result in the required beneficial effects. The ability to measure 25 OH D with precision and accuracy is therefore of paramount importance, to ensure that the clinical recommendations that are made regarding vitamin D measurement and subsequent supplementation are both correct and achievable.