Does Serum Vitamin D Level Affect COVID-19 Infection and Its Severity?-A Case-Control Study

Authors

Kun Ye
Fen Tang
Benjamin A. Shaw
Meiqiu Deng
Guangyi Huang
Zhiqiang Qin
Xiaomei Peng
Hewei Xiao
Chunxia Chen
Xiaochun Liu
Leping Ning
Bangqin Wang
Ningning Tang
Min Li
Fan Xu
Shao Lin
Jianrong Yang

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2020

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2020.1826005

Abstract

Background: As effective medication to treat COVID-19 is currently unavailable, preventive remedies may be particularly important. Objective: To examine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) level and COVID-19 infection, its severity, and its clinical case characteristics. Methods: This case-control study compared serum 25(OH)D levels and rates of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) between 80 healthy controls and 62 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to Guangxi People’s Hospital, China, 2/16/2020–3/16/2020. Cases were categorized into asymptomatic, mild/moderate, and severe/critical disease. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the associations between 25(OH)D level, or VDD, and case status/severity of COVID-19 while controlling for demographics and comorbidities. A threshold level of vitamin D for conveying COVID-19 risk was estimated. Results: Severe/critical COVID-19 cases were significantly older and had higher percentages of comorbidity (renal failure) compared to mild cases. The serum 25(OH)D concentration in COVID-19 patient was much lower than that in healthy control. And 25(OH)D level was the lowest in severe/ critical cases, compared with mild cases. In further, significantly higher rates of VDD were found in COVID-19 cases (41.9%) compared to healthy controls (11.1%). And VDD was the greatest in severe/critical cases (80%), compared with mild cases (36%). These statistically significant associations remained even after controlling for demographics and comorbidities. A potential threshold of 25(OH)D (41.19nmol/L) to protect against COVID-19 was identified. Conclusion: Elderly and people with comorbidities were susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection. VDD was a risk factor for COVID-19, especially for severe/critical cases. While further confirmation is needed, vitamin D supplementation may have prevention or treatment potential for COVID- 19 disease.

Recommended Citation

Ye, Kun; Tang, Fen; Shaw, Benjamin A.; Deng, Meiqiu; Huang, Guangyi; Qin, Zhiqiang; Peng, Xiaomei; Xiao, Hewei; Chen, Chunxia; Liu, Xiaochun; Ning, Leping; Wang, Bangqin; Tang, Ningning; Li, Min; Xu, Fan; Lin, Shao; and Yang, Jianrong, "Does Serum Vitamin D Level Affect COVID-19 Infection and Its Severity?-A Case-Control Study" (2020). Publications, Issue Briefs, Reports, Etc. 5.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/covid-mhd-nys-pubs-and-reports/5

License

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