Med. praxi. 2026;23(2):95-100 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2026.012

Why vitamin D remains a clinically relevant topic

prof. MUDr. Ondřej Topolčan, Ph.D., Mgr. Bc. Martina Peštová, MUDr. Michal Jirásko

Oddělení imunochemické diagnostiky, Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň

Vitamin D has traditionally been associated with skeletal health; however, current knowledge indicates that its biological role extends beyond calcium-phosphate metabolism. The active form, 1,25(OH)₂D, acts through the vitamin D receptor expressed in numerous tissues and may be involved in the regulation of immune functions, inflammatory responses, cardiovascular homeostasis, cellular proliferation, and other extraskeletal processes. At the same time, vitamin D deficiency remains highly prevalent, especially in regions with limited seasonal cutaneous synthesis. The clinical relevance of vitamin D therefore lies not only in its pleiotropic biological effects but also in the fact that deficiency can be relatively easily identified by laboratory testing and corrected. As part of population monitoring, we measured 25(OH)D levels in employees of the University Hospital in Plzeň. The results show that suboptimal vitamin D levels are common even in a population with presumably higher health literacy. This article provides an overview of selected extraskeletal effects of vitamin D, a brief summary of laboratory assessment, and practical remarks on supplementation.

Keywords: vitamin D, supplementation, laboratory diagnostics, hypovitaminosis, prevention.

Received: February 25, 2026; Revised: March 25, 2026; Accepted: March 30, 2026; Published: April 28, 2026  Show citation