Top 10 chronic health problems of children, women, pregnancies, seniors, and darker skins are fought by Vitamin D

Created June 2025


Rank	Chronic Health Condition	Prevalence Rate	Age Group	Key Details
1	Dental Caries (Tooth Decay)	23% - 29%	2-11 years	23% in ages 2-5; 29% in ages 9-11 1 10 19
2	Obesity	12.7% - 20.7%	2-18 years	12.7% (ages 2-5); 20.7% (ages 6-11) 1 6 11
3	Seasonal Allergies	18.9%	0-17 years	Boys are more affected (20%) than girls (17.7%) 14
4	Developmental Delays	16-18%	School-age	Includes various developmental disorders 4
5	ADHD/ADD	11.1% (1 in 9)	5-17 years	Approximately 7 million children diagnosed in 2022 4 12
6	Eczema	10.8%	0-17 years	Highest in ages 6-11 (12.1%) 14
7	Asthma	8.5%	0-18 years	More common in boys (7.0%) than girls (5.4%) 4 16
8	Learning Disabilities	9%	School-age	Affects academic performance and development 4
9	Food Allergies	5.8%	0-17 years	Higher among Black children (7.6%) 14 16
10	Autism Spectrum Disorder	3.2% (1 in 31)	8 years	22% increase since 2020; demographic shift observed 4 13


Chronic Health Problem	Incidence/Prevalence in Women
Cardiovascular Disease	44% of women (over 60 million women in the US) 1
Depression	10.4% current prevalence; 36.7% lifetime prevalence 2
Breast Cancer	13% lifetime risk; 316,950 new cases projected for 2025 3
Diabetes	13.7% total prevalence (9.7% diagnosed) 4
Rheumatoid Arthritis	Women 3 times more likely than men to develop RA 5
Osteoporosis	19.6% prevalence in women aged 50+ (2017-2018 data) 6
Lupus (Autoimmune Disease)	90% of lupus patients are women; affects 9 out of 10 women vs men 7 8
Asthma/COPD	14.5% asthma prevalence; 42% of women with asthma develop COPD 9
Fibromyalgia	80-96% of fibromyalgia diagnoses are women 10
Migraine	20.7% global prevalence; up to 17% annual prevalence in US women 11 12


Anxiety - Depression	8.7%	1
Type 2 Diabetes	8.0%	2
Dementia	7.4%	3
Ischaemic Heart	6.1%	4
Stroke	3.8%	5
Breast Cancer	3.5%	6
Lung Cancer	3.5%	7
COPD	2.8%	8
Asthma	2.4%	9
Osteoarthritis	2.2%	10

Top 10 surprise costs of Pregnancy if Vitamin D is low


Pregnancy complication	Avg. extra cost per pregnancy* (US $)	Relative risk reduction at ≥ 40 ng/mL	New cost after vitamin D sufficiency (US $)	Cost saved per pregnancy (US $)
Anemia	900	75% lower risk1	225	675
Miscarriage	1 200	49% lower risk vs. deficient (< 20 ng/mL) 2 3	624	576
Antenatal / Post-partum depression	960	≈60% lower risk when 25(OH)D ≥ 40 ng/mL 4 5	384	576
Pre-term birth / labour	15 750	57% lower risk (RR 0.43) at ≥ 40 ng/mL 6 7	6 773	8 978
Gestational hypertension / pre-eclampsia	1 760	45% lower risk with supplementation raising levels to sufficiency 8 9	968	792
Gestational diabetes	1 050	49% lower risk with adequate vitamin D 10 11	536	515
Severe haemorrhage / PPH	1 750	78% lower risk in women with ≥ 30–35 ng/mL vs. deficient 12 13	385	1 365
Maternal infections / sepsis	1 350	60% lower neonatal-sepsis risk when mothers are sufficient 14 15	540	810
Hyperemesis gravidarum	240	43% lower risk (MR analysis)16	137	103
Placental disorders (abruption/previa)	800	69% lower risk with sufficiency 17 18 19	248	552

“Extra cost per pregnancy” equals prevalence × average treatment cost.

>40 ng helps a lot

Routine screening and targeted supplementation (2 000–4 000 IU D3/day) can reliably raise most pregnant women to ≥ 40 ng/mL within 8–12 weeks20.
Because cost savings scale with population size, nationwide optimisation of vitamin D status could translate into multi-billion-dollar annual reductions in US maternity expenditures while simultaneously improving maternal-infant outcomes.
References

    1. Surprise costs are amortized across healthy pregnancies

calculated as prevalence × average $ per pregnancy for each of the top 10 pregnancy-related health problems:

The average extra cost per pregnancy of the top 10 health problems during pregnancy

Preterm Birth/Labor clearly emerges as the highest in terms of average extra cost per pregnancy ($15,750), due to both high prevalence and extremely elevated costs associated with neonatal intensive care.
Gestational Hypertension/Preeclampsia and Hemorrhage/Severe Bleeding follow, with average extra costs of $1,760 and $1,750 per pregnancy, respectively, reflecting both their moderate prevalence and substantial treatment costs.
Miscarriage , Infections/Sepsis , and Mental Health Conditions also contribute notably, with average extra costs ranging from $960 to $1,350 per pregnancy.
Gestational Diabetes , Anemia , Placental Problems , and Hyperemesis Gravidarum have more moderate average extra costs per pregnancy, ranging from $240 to $1,050.

This visualization highlights how preterm birth is not only a leading health complication in pregnancy, but also the single greatest cost driver when accounting for both how frequently it occurs and the resources required for management.

    1. Failed to consider

Caesarean expensive
emotional costs, scores of sleepless nights,
Food allergies associated with low Vitamin D - many studies
Respiratory infection, children and Vitamin D - many studies
Increased Cancer during childhood - many studies
Sudden Infant Deaths (SIDS) soon after vaccination - many studies
Asthma category
Overview Autism and vitamin D most of the risk factors are reduced by Vitamin D

  1. <a href="/pages/top-10-chronic-health-problems-of-seniors-are-all-related-to-low-vitamin-d/">Top 10 chronic health problems of SENIORS</a>

1. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Affects 73.7% of women aged 65-74 and 84.1% of women aged 75+ 1
71.8% of men aged 65-74 and 83.2% of men aged 75+ have hypertension 1
The most common chronic condition affecting seniors 2

2. High Cholesterol

Affects 55.1% of older adults 3
Second most frequently reported condition among seniors 3
Closely linked to cardiovascular disease risk 2

3. Arthritis

Affects 51.3% of older adults 3
Third most frequently reported condition among seniors 3
52% of 85-year-olds had a diagnosis of osteoarthritis in clinical studies 4

4. Obesity

38.0% of men aged 60 and older 1
39.6% of women aged 60 and older 1
Affects approximately 42% of adults 60 and older 5

5. Diabetes

Affects 26% of adults aged 65 and older 6
12.1% of all adults have diabetes, with higher rates among seniors 3
Diabetes prevalence among American older adults may increase by more than 400% by 2050 4

6. Heart Disease

Affects 6.5% of adults overall, with higher rates among seniors 3
Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are common chronic conditions at age 85 4
Leading cause of death but lower prevalence than other chronic conditions 7

7. Cancer

8.0% of adults overall report cancer (excluding skin cancer) 3
Higher incidence rates in older adults, particularly those over 65 3
34% of those above age 65 have been affected by osteoarthritis 6

8. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

6.2% of adults have COPD 3
Chronic respiratory diseases affected 11.7 million adults in 2022 8
More common in older populations 4

9. Depression

16% of older adults sought treatment for depression in Medicare data 5
20.2% of all adults report depression 3
Not a normal part of aging but significantly affects quality of life 5

10. Stroke (Cerebrovascular Disease)

3.4% of adults report stroke history 3
Third leading cause of death among seniors 1
Higher incidence with advanced age 4

Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Arthritis, Obesity, Diabetes, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, COPD, Depression, Stroke

    1. <a href="/pages/perhaps-4000-dollars-annual-less-health-care-costs-if-supplement-with-5-dollars-of-vitamin-d/">$4,000 dollars saved annually for each veteran getting Vitamin D</a>

Some hospitals in the Veterans Administration found $4,000 annual savings per patient when giving Vitamin D

- Data from both US Veterans and Germans (senior)

  1. <a href="/pages/all-of-the-top-10-chronic-health-problems-of-blacks-are-associated-with-low-vitamin-d/">Top 10 chronic health problems of those with DARKER SKIN</a>

1. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

56.8% of Black men and 61.0% of Black women aged 20+ have hypertension 1
African Americans develop hypertension earlier in life than other groups 2
One in three African Americans suffers from high blood pressure 3

2. Obesity

49.6% of African Americans have obesity compared to 42.2% of non-Hispanic whites 4
African American women have rates of 56.9% vs. 41.1% for African American men 4
Highest obesity rates among all racial groups 4

3. Diabetes (Type 2)

African Americans are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than white adults 5
Over twice as likely to develop diabetes compared to white Americans 6
More likely to suffer complications like end-stage renal disease and amputations 7

4. Heart Disease

Leading cause of death among African Americans 1
African Americans aged 18-49 are two times more likely to die of heart disease 3
Young Black patients have an increasing burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors 8

5. Stroke

African Americans were 50% more likely to have a stroke than non-Hispanic white adults in 2018 9
Black men had stroke death rates 2-3 times higher than other groups 10
Higher stroke mortality rates in all regions, especially the South 10

6. Chronic Kidney Disease

African Americans are more than 3 times as likely to have kidney failure compared to white Americans 11
18 times greater risk of end-stage renal disease due to hypertension in some regions 12
Higher rates of kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplant 12

7. Asthma

Black people are 40% more likely to have asthma than white people 13
Black women are 84% more likely to have asthma than Black men 13
Higher rates of emergency department visits and complications 14

8. Cancer

African American men are 50% more likely to get lung cancer 7
Higher rates of prostate cancer among Black men 7
African American women under 35 are twice as likely to develop cancer 7

9. Depression and Anxiety

20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems 15
Depression was the most frequently examined chronic condition (70.2%) in African American families 16
Lower rates of mental health treatment utilization 15

10. HIV/AIDS

Black people account for 39% of new HIV diagnoses despite being 12% of the population 17
HIV incidence rate of 45.0 per 100,000 among Black Americans vs. 5.3 for whites 18
Black women account for 55% of new HIV infections among women 18

Hypertension, Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke, Chronic Kidney Disease, Asthma, Cancer, Depression and Anxiety, HIV/AIDS

  1. <a href="/pages/top-10-causes-of-death-low-vitamin-d-is-associated-with-every-cause/">Top 10 causes of death</a>

2018

  1. <a href="/pages/fertility-and-sperm/">Fertility</a> improved if high level of Vitamin D

In Vitro Fertilization

  1. Vitamin D improves the immune system to fight:

Glyphosate Addictions Ultra-processed foods Microplastics
99 health problems once every 2 weeks proven to prevent/treat 27 health problems (80% of adults got >40 ng for just $5/year)
Diabetes + Heart Failure + Chronic Pain + Depression + Autism + Breast Cancer + Colon Cancer + Prostate Cancer + BPH (prostate) + Preeclampsia + Premature Birth + Falls + Cognitive Decline + Respiratory Tract Infection + Influenza + Tuberculosis + Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease + Lupus + Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome + Urinary Tract Infection + Poor Sleep + Growing Pain + Multiple Sclerosis + PMS + Schizophrenia + Endometriosis + Smoking**

  1. Vitamin D Life - <a href="/pages/the-top-10-medical-expenses-can-all-be-decreased-by-vitamin-d/">The top 10 medical expenses can all be decreased by vitamin D</a>


Problem	Cost	Vitamin D Life
Heart Conditions:	$555 Billion	Overview Cardiovascular and vitamin D
Diabetes:	$245 Billion	Overview Diabetes and vitamin D
Cancer:	$225 Billion	Overview Cancer and vitamin D and 17+ subcategories
Obesity:	$190 Billion	Overview Obesity and Vitamin D
COPD and Asthma: Between	$100-290 Billion	COPD fought by Vitamin D - many studies Overview Asthma and Vitamin D
Traffic Injuries:	$99 Billion	Vitamin D is needed before most surgeries
Mental Disorders:	$89 Billion	Overview Alzheimer's-Cognition and Vitamin D Depression Brain and Vitamin D - many studies
Low Back and Neck Problems:	$87 Billion	Back Pain
Joint Disorders:	$80 Billion	Overview Osteoporosis and vitamin D
High Blood Pressure:	$46 Billion	Overview Hypertension and Vitamin D

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Tags: Cost savings

Top 10 chronic health problems of children, women, pregnancies, seniors, and darker skins are fought by Vitamin D

Top 10 chronic health problems of CHILDREN

Top 10 chronic health problems of WOMEN

Top 10 surprise costs of Pregnancy if Vitamin D is low

>40 ng helps a lot