Moderate to severe Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk for COVID-19 mortality in patients treated in a respiratory intensive care unit

Abstract

The association between vitamin D insufficiency and increased risk of respiratory tract infection has been widely discussed before the COVID-19 pandemic [1][2][3]. Interestingly, the

Shedding light on the next pandemic path, from outpatient to ICU, the effect of vitamin D deficiency in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

“…The presence of additional conditions was a factor associated with higher chances of being admitted to ICUs ( 6 , 7 , 10–13 , 15 , 17–19 , 23 , 28 , 33 ). On the pressing issue of killer pandemics, researchers of the current research agree with previous studies, which indicated that further detailed analysis, stronger evidence with larger sample sizes, and valid research techniques are crucial to increase generalizability ( 10 , 13 , 15 , 21 , 23–25 ). A meaningful aspect of the study is also the fact that subjects included in the study had not been previously vaccinated for COVID-19.…”

“…A total of 83 confirmed COVID-19 cases were enrolled in a retrospective, observational, single-center respiratory-ICU study in Italy. The study demonstrated that moderate–severe Vitamin D hypoVitaminosis may predict worse prognosis and increased in-hospital mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure ( 13 ). Decreased serum levels of Vitamin D versus the healthy participants was exhibited in a study with 100 participants, consisting of 50 healthy and 50 ICU-admitted COVID-19 ( p = 0.0024).…”

“…Recent data have suggested a protective role of Vitamin D in COVID-19-related health outcomes since Vitamin D is known to play a crucial role in immune function and inflammation (6). Studies reported that patients with moderate-severe Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) have a higher risk for in-hospital mortality due to COVID-19 than those with higher levels of Vitamin D (10)(11)(12)(13). A growing body of literature raises the issue of Vitamins C and D for risk assessment and therapeutic options in COVID-19 (5).…”

“…The study concluded that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to evaluate the impact (23). High-quality randomized controlled trials with larger populations are necessary to explore and define the role of Vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 (13,21,(23)(24)(25).…”