Vitamin D rapid test

Vitamin D belongs to the group of calciferols, which is a collective term for various substances of this type. Calciferols can be taken in active or inactive form through food. However, your body is also capable of forming a precursor itself: this happens in the liver and in the intestinal mucosa. Your skin needs sunlight to activate the precursors. Activation then produces vitamin D, which is important and effective for you. It is therefore important that you regularly expose your skin to the sun in order to activate the vitamin D on your skin under the influence of UV light.

The functions of the fat-soluble vitamin in the human body are numerous. Vitamin D, for example, strengthens the cardiovascular system, has an effect on the function of your thyroid gland and thus also on your hormone balance and the immune system. Vitamin D also plays an important role in regulating your calcium level and thus supports bone mineralization. A well covered vitamin D level is therefore an important protection against osteoporosis. The promotion of muscle development and function is also related to vitamin D. This is particularly important for older people, as they often have a low vitamin D status. In addition, it supports glucose utilization, which is why vitamin D is particularly important for diabetics. Vitamin D is also known for its positive effects on the state of mind. Recent studies indicate that low vitamin D levels are associated with mood swings and even depression. It is not yet clear whether the lowered concentration contributes to the disease or whether the clinical picture lowers the vitamin D level.

Above all, lifestyle is decisive: few stays in the fresh air and thus no direct UV radiation are reflected in a low vitamin D content. In addition, heavy metal pollution in the body can play a role, for example through smoking. Such chronic stresses can lead to a blockage of vitamin D activation. Biological age also has an influence, as kidney function, which is important for vitamin D metabolism, decreases over the years. For this reason, older people in particular should make sure that they get enough exercise in the fresh air. Seasons and latitude also influence vitamin D levels: low sun intensity in winter and short periods of sunshine have a negative effect. Digestive disorders can also play a further role: chronic liver and/or gallbladder diseases and disorders of the digestive tract, through which fats are poorly absorbed, reduce the absorption and storage of vitamin D.

The results of the vitamin d rapid test should be interpreted as follows: 0-10 ng/ml — severe deficiency 11-30 ng/ml — deficiency 31-100 ng/ml — optimal supply > 100 ng/ml — Overdose Attention: The interpretation of the measured value may differ from this table depending on individual health and physical conditions. If you have any questions about the interpretation of your measured value or your treatment (vitamin D supplementation), please contact your doctor or pharmacist. Sources:

1. Bischoff-Ferrari HA (2014) Optimal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for multiple health outcomes. In Sunlight, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer (Advances in experimental medicine and biology), Reichrath J (ed) pp 500–25. New York: Springer-Verlag.
2. Gupta AK, Jamwal V, Sakul & Malhotra P (2014) Hypervitaminosis D and systemic manifestations: A comprehensive review. J. Int. Med. Sci. Acad. 27: 236–237.
3. Kimball SM, Mirhosseini N & Holick MF (2017) Evaluation of vitamin D3 intakes up to 15,000 international units/day and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations up to 300 nmol/L on calcium metabolism in a community setting. Dermatoendocrinol. 9: e1300213.

The test system of the kiweno vitamin d rapid test consists of an immunological rapid test, which detects vitamin D (25(OH)-vitamin D) using specific antibodies, and a smartphone app, which quantitatively evaluates the result of the rapid test based on the colour intensity of the control and test band. The result is displayed and stored on the smartphone in use. The system requirements and supported devices can be found here.

Only very small amounts of vitamin D are absorbed through food. Up to 90% of vitamin D is produced by the body itself, namely in the skin as a result of sunlight. However, due to our modern lifestyle, especially due to too little time spent outdoors and the use of high sun protection factors, the body’s own vitamin D production is no longer sufficient in many cases. A deficiency is therefore no longer restricted to risk groups such as small children, pregnant women, people with dark skin and the 50+ group of people, but can affect anyone. A vitamin D deficiency can be diagnosed particularly well after the winter period when there is little sunshine. When taking vitamin D preparations, it is recommended to check their effectiveness at certain intervals. This allows an optimal adjustment of the dose to seasonal fluctuations in light conditions and individually varying needs.

If a vitamin D deficiency has been diagnosed, especially in winter and with an office job, vitamin D supplementation is definitely sensible. More and more often, vitamin D is also used as a supplement in therapy. A balanced vitamin D balance leads to a significant improvement in bone structure. Vitamin D supplementation is therefore recommended especially for people with osteoporosis. A high vitamin D supplementation is also frequently used for inflammation and pain. Vitamin D is important for the improvement of classic inflammation parameters such as CRP or cytokines. The administration of cod liver oil (contains a lot of vitamin D) is also well known in cases of illness. The positive effect on the immune system is increasingly confirmed by science: Vitamin D is beneficial for your immune system! Sunlight and vitamin D also seem to play a major role in the nervous disease multiple sclerosis. In areas with a lot of sunlight, the clinical picture hardly ever occurs. Intervention studies with vitamin D also show a stabilising effect, i.e. an improvement in characteristics. Vitamin D is also administered in high doses in the case of psoriasis: Vitamin D helps to regulate and develop healthy skin cells and thus supports a healthy skin appearance. Vitamin D is also important for dental health: the risk of periodontosis and tooth loss is reduced. A still open research topic is the connection between vitamin D and some forms of cancer. Some studies indicate an improvement in the clinical picture, but more research is needed. As with all diagnostic tests, you should not make a final assessment based on a single result, but only after the clinical picture has been fully clarified by your attending physician. Your supplementation should be based on your current vitamin D level so that the correct dose is taken.  

Detailed information about the rapid test and its procedure can be found here. The kiweno vitamin d-App is supported by the following devices and operating systems. * Apple devices require an operating system of version 10 or higher * Android devices require an operating system of version 5 or higher Download the list We are working hard to add as many devices as possible to the list. If your device is not supported, feel free to contact us and we will add your device to our to-do list to make it work as soon as possible!

The kiweno vitamin d rapid test can detect the vitamin D level with high reliability. In cooperation with our parent company Immundignostik AG, a renowned company in the field of laboratory diagnostics, many resources were invested in the development of this innovative rapid test procedure. The new rapid test procedure was of course checked and tested to ensure that the quality of the results was the same as in a laboratory evaluation. A comparative study carried out by Immundiagnostik AG (download) shows that the values measured by the rapid test method are very comparable with the laboratory measurements (measurement with mass spectrometry, ELISA). The kiweno vitamin d rapid test uses the same rapid test procedure as the Preventis SmarTest vitamin D used in the study. Nevertheless, incorrect results may be obtained in individual cases. If the results are questionable, further clinical tests should be carried out. As with all diagnostic tests, a final finding should not be based on a single result, but only after the clinical picture has been fully clarified by the attending physician. The vitamin d rapid test has a measuring range of 5-100 ng/ml 25(OH)-Vitamin D. The test detects 25(OH) vitamin D2, 25(OH) vitamin D3, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D2 and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3. There is no cross-reactivity to 1,24(OH)2-vitamin D2, 1,24(OH)2-vitamin D3 or 3-epi-(OH)-vitamin D3. The kiweno vitamin d rapid test result is not affected by bilirubin, triglycerides, cholesterol, vitamin B12 or vitamin C. The coefficient of variation is 25.8% for repeated measurements with one rapid test batch and 3-37% for repeated measurements with different rapid test batches. A comparative measurement of 27 patient samples with the Schenlltest method and the reference method LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry) showed a very good agreement between the two methods (87.5%).

After use, the test with all components can be disposed of in the residual waste.