Vitamin D & Inflammation Test

Inflammation is the body’s immune response to an irritant. The irritant could be trauma from an injury, chemicals, or an infection. The body responds with pain, swelling, and redness, which are all part of the initial inflammatory response.

Short-term inflammation is referred to as acute inflammation and is usually self-limiting. Acute inflammation is often a sign your body is working to fight an infection or heal itself. In contrast, when inflammation persists, or is in response to the body's own cells, it is referred to as chronic inflammation. In chronic inflammation, your body’s immune system continues to send out its main defenders, white blood cells, and other messengers to fight. Sometimes these defenders can end up attacking nearby healthy tissues or cells. This immune system response can persist for prolonged periods of time or even indefinitely. Our inflammatory marker test measures your body’s level of a protein whose levels are elevated when inflammation is present (acute or chronic).

Chronic inflammation has been implicated in a wide variety of disorders, including:

• Heart disease

• Diabetes

• Dementia

• Alzheimer's disease

• Lupus

• Crohn's disease

• Cancer

C-reactive protein, or CRP, is a protein that increases in the blood with inflammation. The high-sensitivity CRP blood test (hs-CRP) can detect even small elevations of CRP protein as an indicator of low levels of inflammation in the body.

You might consider this inflammation test if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed below.

Symptoms of chronic inflammation are often vague and may go undetected, but can include:

• Ongoing, Irritating Pain in Joints or Muscles

• Constant Fatigue or Lethargy

• Frequent Infection

• Gastrointestinal complications like constipation, diarrhea, and reflux

• Insomnia

Vitamin D is widely known to be essential for strong bones as it helps the body use calcium, but if you are deficient, there are a wide variety of other symptoms one can experience:

• Excessive Sweating

• Noticeable and Unexpected Weakness

• Broken Bones

• Chronic Pain

• Depression

• Fatigue

Related test for fatigue symptoms: Thyroid Test

Your results from our high-sensitivity CRP test will contain your levels of CRP and vitamin D and whether they are low, normal, or high compared to the appropriate reference ranges.

It is important to understand that a single C-reactive protein (CRP) level does not tell the complete story. High-sensitivity CRP levels can be temporarily elevated by your body’s response to a recent illness, bacterial infection, or trauma. A high CRP level should be confirmed with follow-up testing. To identify signs of chronic inflammation, a healthcare provider may test for additional markers of inflammation.

Everlywell can suggest dietary and lifestyle changes that can help you regulate vitamin D levels in your body.

If your vitamin D levels are low, you may wish to modify your diet and sunlight exposure to maximize vitamin D levels in your body.

If you exhibit elevated CRP levels, you may consider waiting a month or so and retesting, as the high CRP levels might be the result of recent illness, infection, or trauma.

Once you get your results back from our inflammation level test (CRP testing), you can then show them to your healthcare provider and discuss potential next steps. Sharing your Everlywell results with your doctor is the best way to create informed decisions about your health and wellness planning.

Low vitamin D levels can result in vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to symptoms like fatigue, depression, and joint pain—and more. In addition, a low vitamin D level may also be linked to serious health conditions like heart disease and bone weakness (in the form of osteomalacia).

The main cause of vitamin D insufficiency is a lack of sun exposure. That’s because your body makes vitamin D when your skin comes into contact with sunlight. Dietary vitamin D sources are few and far between, so sunlight is actually the body’s main source of vitamin D. Fortunately, an at-home vitamin deficiency test that checks vitamin D levels can help you find out if you’re getting enough of this key nutrient.

Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include the following:

• History of gastric bypass surgery

• Dairy allergies

• Lactose intolerance

• Vegan or ovo-vegetarian diets

• Fat malabsorption conditions, such as celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease

Healthcare providers often prescribe a high-dose vitamin D supplement to help reverse vitamin D deficiencies as quickly as possible. However, because too much vitamin D supplementation can result in toxicity, be sure you talk to your healthcare provider before taking high doses of vitamin D, or any other alterations to your diet or supplement routines.

Learn more about vitamin D deficiency: Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Too much vitamin D supplementation can result in vitamin D toxicity—meaning your body doesn’t have optimal vitamin D levels because it’s actually getting too much vitamin D. Toxicity is the opposite of a vitamin D deficiency and is linked with excess calcium absorption (which can lead to a condition known as hypercalcemia).

Fortunately, frequent sun exposure will not lead to vitamin D toxicity because sunlight breaks down any extra vitamin D in your skin.

Common symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include:

• Kidney stones

• Anorexia

• Diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting

• Bone pain

• Frequent urination

• Drowsiness

• Constant headaches

• Irregular heartbeat

It's always a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider about your supplement routines, especially if you plan on changing them.