Review the Research
Get summaries of key research on vitamin D and COVID-19
Vitamin D status is not associated with clinical severity of COVID-19 in pregnant women.
Take Home Message
This study suggested that clinical severity and pulmonary involvement of COVID-19 may not be associated with vitamin D status in pregnant women.
Results
- Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were found to be 36.6 ± 26.8 and 31.3 ± 20.7 nmol/L in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and healthy controls, respectively (p = 0.001).
- The clinical severity of pregnant women with COVID-19 did not differ concerning vitamin D deficiency, even after excluding patients on vitamin supplementation.
- Testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 was not related to vitamin D status in the overall cohort of pregnant women.
- Pulmonary involvement of COVID-19 was found to be similar between patients with vitamin D deficiency and adequate vitamin D levels.

Who
147 COVID-19 positive pregnant women who are symptomatic.
Things to Keep in Mind
- This study had a very small number of subjects.
- There were no controls for confounders but the subjects were of similar age, gestational week, and BMI.
Author’s Conclusions
“In conclusion, clinical severity and pulmonary involvement of COVID-19 may not be associated with vitamin D status in pregnant women. Vitamin D deficiency/adequacy rates were comparable in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and healthy pregnant women. Given the overall high vitamin D deficiency rate, physicians should focus on establishing adequate vitamin D levels in pregnancy. Further well-designed studies with larger sample sizes and optimal vitamin D status are required.”
Study Design
- A prospective case–control study included 147 pregnant women with COVID-19 and 300 healthy pregnant matched controls.
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin (25(OH)D) concentrations were measured on admission.
- Patients with mild-to-moderate disease (n = 114, 77.6%) and severe-to-critical disease (n = 33, 22.4%) were classified as symptomatic patients who did not require oxygen support and those who received oxygen support, respectively.
- SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates, clinical severity of COVID-19, and pulmonary involvement were compared according to vitamin D status.