An Italian man has ended up in intensive care after he overdosed on vitamin D because he thought it would help him avoid catching COVID-19.
The unnamed man in his 50s from the Italian region of Veneto ended up in the ICU of the Sant’Antonio Hospital in the city of Padua in a serious condition.
He did not want to get vaccinated, but equally wanted to avoid catching the coronavirus, and he had convinced himself that by taking large quantities of vitamin D, he would stave it off.
He arrived at the hospital’s A&E department with severe symptoms and almost in a state of cardiac arrest, which subsequent tests revealed was due to excessive intake of vitamin D.
The maximum amount of vitamin D a health professional would ever prescribe is 100,000 international units (IU) per fortnight. However, the man had been taking twice that amount daily.
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The man had to undergo dialysis and was admitted to the ICU when his condition worsened.
Despite remaining hospitalised at the time of reporting, he remained convinced his home remedy had stopped him from catching COVID-19, according to local media.
A hospital spokesperson said: “Anyone is free to make the choices they see fit, and when there is a need, we are there, whether they are pro-vax or anti-vax.
“The only thing we feel we can recommend is to always ask for clarification from a healthcare professional. Serious mistakes like these are to be avoided.
“Vitamin D is good for many things, but, like all substances, if used in excess it causes intoxication with extremely harmful consequences.”
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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