Vitamin D supplementation could possibly improve clinical outcomes for patients infected with Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19)
9 pages published: April 9, 2020
Davao Doctors College; University of the Southeast Philippines
Date of writing: April 9, 2020
Summary
The rapid spread of COVID-19 in many areas of the world requires preventive health measures.
Although basic guidelines on infection control are suggested, treatment has remained the best option to avoid mortality.
However, at the moment, there are no known vaccines for the disease.
In this work, multinomial logistic regression was used to predict clinical outcomes of patients infected with COVID-19 based on levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the barometer for vitamin D status. A retrospective multicenter study of 212 cases with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted.
Data regarding clinical characteristics and serum levels of 25 (OH)D were extracted from medical records.
For statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney U and -² tests were used to compare differences in clinical outcomes.
Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the association between serum 25 (OH)D level and clinical case outcomes.
Frequency and percentage were used for categorical variables.
The mean was used for continuous variables.
A p-value <0.01 was considered statistically significant.
Of the 212 cases of COVID-19, most had an ordinary clinical outcome.
The mean serum 25(OH)D level was 23.8 ng/mL.
The serum 25 (OH)D level was lower in critical cases, but higher in mild cases.
Serum levels of 25(OH)D were statistically significant among clinical outcomes.
Most had insufficient vitamin D status, most of them were not serious.
Vitamin D status is significantly associated with clinical outcomes.
A multinomial logistic regression analysis reported that for each standard deviation increase in serum 25(OH)D, the odds of having a mild clinical outcome rather than a severe outcome were approximately 7.94-fold (OR = 0.126, p <0.001), while interestingly, the odds of having a mild clinical outcome rather than a critical outcome were approximately 19.61-fold (OR = 0.051, p <0.001).
The results suggest that an increase in the serum level of 25(OH)D in the body could improve clinical outcomes or mitigate worse outcomes (severe to critical), while a decrease in the serum level of 25(OH)D in the body could worsen clinical outcomes of COVID-2019 patients.
In conclusion, this study provides substantial information to clinicians and health policymakers. Vitamin D supplementation could possibly improve clinical outcomes for patients infected with COVID-19.
Access the full study at this link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3571484
* We consider it advisable to analyze vitamin D levels, to know if there is a deficiency or not.
A quick vitamin D test facilitates the result.
* At Salengei, we contribute to the supply of vitamin D by supplementing with MorEPA Platinum, recommending the intake of 3 pearls a day.
