Lack of association between vitamin D insufficiency and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Background A protective effect of vitamin D against COVID-19 infection is under investigation. We aimed to analyze the effect of vitamin D sufficiency on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with COVID-19. Methods In this cross-sectional study we analyzed the vitamin D levels of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Razi Hospital (an infectious disease referral center in Mazandaran province in northern Iran) from February to March 2020. Overall, a cutoff point of 30 ng/mL was used for the definition of vitamin D sufficiency. Results One hundred fifty-three patients were analyzed in this study who had laboratory documentation of a 25(OH) D level at the time of hospitalization. The vitamin D levels of the patients were 27.19 ± 20.17 ng/mL. In total, 62.7% (n = 96) of the patients had a 25(OH) D level of less than 30 ng/mL and 37.25% (n = 57) had a 25(OH) D level of more than 30 ng/mL. In total, 49% (n = 75) of the patients suffered from at least one underlying disease. The univariate and multivariable regression showed that vitamin D sufficiency was not associated with a statistically significant lower risk of adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 such as duration of hospitalization and severity of infection (P > 0.05). Conclusions Sufficient vitamin D levels were not found to be protective against adverse clinical outcomes in patients infected with COVID-19. Chronic disorders in COVID-19 patients were found to have greater relevance than vitamin D levels in determining the adverse outcomes of the infection. Further studies are needed to determine the role of vitamin D level in predicting the outcomes of COVID-19 infection.

Comparison of the cardiovascular system, clinical condition, and laboratory results in COVID-19 patients with and without vitamin D insufficiency

“…Although a relationship has been found between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 as well as the clinical condition of the disease, the authors reported that further studies are required [ 34 , 35 ]. In the present study, the prevalence of insufficient vitamin D was 69.2%, similar to the other studies [ 27 , 35 ].…”

“…Previous studies have shown the possible relationship between vitamin D status and respiratory infections [ 27 , 29 ]. Since studies have demonstrated that a sufficient vitamin D level is associated with a better immune system function, researchers posed vitamin D might have a protective effect against COVID-19 [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Davoudi et al studied 153 COVID-19 patients and found no significant difference between the groups in terms of the need for invasive ventilation [ 27 ]. A retrospective study in Austria on 148 patients reported that vitamin D levels did not differ significantly between various types of oxygen therapy [ 39 ].…”

“…The cutoff point for sufficient vitamin D level was 30 ng/mL [ 27 ]. Clinical outcome was defined as severe if invasive respiratory intervention and ICU admission was required.…”

Nutritional risk of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium deficiency on risk and clinical outcomes of COVID-19: A narrative review

“…Another study suggested that 25(OH)D deficiency was not associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection but may increase the risk for mortality in severely deficient cases [89]. Similar studies also reported no statistically significant evidence that insufficient vitamin D levels might play a role in adverse outcomes of COVID-19 infection [90,91].…”