Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Hypothyroid Patients in Benghazi Medical Center.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone introduced into the body through food, but major synthesis occurs through exposure of the skin to solar ultraviolet light. Vitamin D obtained from the skin or the diet is converted by the liver to 25(OH) vitamin D and is metabolized in the kidney to (1,25) dihydroxyvitaminD.The consequences of low vitamin D level is not only causing osteomalacia, but also found to increase risk of autoimmune thyroid disease. A different gene in the Vitamin D receptor was shown to predispose people to autoimmune thyroid disease including Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Since hypothyroidism is a common endocrine problem in Benghazi, data on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on thyroid function in hypothyroid patients needs to be investigated.