Review the Research
Get summaries of key research on vitamin D and COVID-19
Association of Vitamin D Status and COVID-19-Related Hospitalization and Mortality
Take Home Message
Vitamin D deficiency has a significant dose-response relationship with adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infection, including hospitalization and mortality.
Results
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- 14.5% had vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/dl).
- African American patients, patients living in areas of high poverty, and those with alcohol and drug use had the highest risk for low vitamin D levels.
- There is a significant inverse relationship between vitamin D concentrations and COVID-19 related hospitalization.
- Patients with lower vitamin D concentrations, increases in vitamin D are associated with larger reductions in probability for hospitalization than among those with higher vitamin D concentrations.
- COVID patients with a vitamin D level of 15 ng/ml compared to 40 ng/ml had a 20% greater with of hospitalization.
- COVID patients with a vitamin D level of 15 ng/ml compared to 40 ng/ml had a 53% increased risk of mortality.
Who
Veterans enrolled in the VA health care systems across the US that tested for COVID-19 (71,175 patients). 4,599 patients had vitamin D levels tested within 15-90 days of their COVID-19 tests.
Things to Keep in Mind
This is a straightforward chart review and comparison, but it should be noted that these patients were all hospitalized which one can assume means these were the worst cases, and we don’t know about health conditions not reviewed in the study that might increase risk and severity of symptoms or might influence vitamin D status.
Author’s Conclusions
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Continuous blood 25(OH)D concentrations are independently associated with COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality in an inverse dose-response relationship in this large racially and ethnically diverse cohort of VA patients. Randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the impact of vitamin D supplementation on COVID-19-related outcomes.
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Study Design
- Retrospective Cohort Study
Research Summaries
Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Take Home Message This meta-analysis found that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced mortality from COVID-19 in the cohort
Effect of Vitamin D Status on Adult COVID-19 Pneumonia Induced by Delta Variant: A Longitudinal, Real-World Cohort Study
Effect of Vitamin D Status on Adult COVID-19 Pneumonia Induced by Delta Variant: A Longitudinal, Real-World Cohort Study Take Home Message In this small observational study from China in adults with
Is the Vitamin D Status of Patients with COVID-19 Associated with Reduced Mortality? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Is the Vitamin D Status of Patients with COVID-19 Associated with Reduced Mortality? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Take Home Message his meta-analysis found that overall vitamin D deficiency was associated