Review the Research<\/p>\n
Get summaries of key research on vitamin D and COVID-19<\/h5><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nVitamin D Status and Severity of COVID-19<\/h1><\/div>Take Home Message<\/span><\/h2><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Results<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n- 11%, 30% and 59% of the cohort members had vitamin D <\/span>deficiency<\/span>, <\/span>insufficiency<\/span> or <\/span>sufficiency<\/span>,<\/span> respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Vitamin D level was statistically significantly associated with sex, age, country of origin<\/span> and comorbidity, but not with obesity or time interval between date of blood sample drawn and SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/li>\n
- 68% (145\/212) of the cohort members \u2265 70 years had sufficient vitamin D levels versus 50% among individuals<\/span> <70 years (118\/235), and vitamin D sufficiency was more<\/span> common among individuals with comorbidities than among individuals without comorbidities (68% (115\/168) versus 53% (148\/279), respectively).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Among the 447 cohort members, 126 (28%) were not hospitalized, 205 (46%) were hospitalized for COVID<\/span>–<\/span>19, but not admitted to an ICU, 34 (8%) were admitted to an ICU and 82 (18%) died from COVID-19.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Lower levels of vitamin D were associated with higher COVID-19 severity among males younger than<\/span> 65 years of age but not among women of same age. Among the older men and women, the relationship between<\/span> vitamin D levels and severity of COVID-19 resembled a U-formed association <\/span>i.e.,<\/span> highest vitamin D levels were<\/span> observed<\/span> among those who were not hospitalized and among those who did not survive COVID-19.<\/span><\/li>\n
- O<\/span>dds of experiencing<\/span> more severe COVID-19 among individuals with <\/span>insufficient<\/span> (25 to<\/span><\/span> < 50 nmol\/L) and <\/span>sufficient<\/span> (\u2265 50 nmol\/L) 25(OH)D levels were approximately 50% of that among individuals with <\/span>deficient<\/span> levels<\/span> (< 25 nmol\/L) (POR= 0.49 (95% CI 0.25\u20130.94), POR= 0.51 (95% CI 0.27\u20130.96), respectively).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/www.vitamindandme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/132-Nielsen-2022-Danish-300x200.jpg\" "\\"Infected")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Who<\/span><\/h2><\/div>447 COVID positive patients from the<\/span><\/span> Danish population (Danish nation-wide health registers<\/span> the<\/span> COVID-19 surveillance database and stored blood samples<\/span> from the national biobank<\/span>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Things to Keep in Mind<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Some comorbidities may not have been accounted for and since this was a chart review some aspects that may have contributed to deaths and severity of illness may not have been accounted for<\/span>. The data was gathered at the beginning of the pandemic, in<\/span><\/span> 2020<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> and may not reflect <\/span>the <\/span>results of different strains that have developed since and do not account for how outcomes may be <\/span>impacted<\/span> by vaccine status.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Author\u2019s Conclusions<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, we observed that deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome. The possible role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of COVID-19 has already been assessed in randomized controlled trials, but as pointed out in recent meta-analyses, large variations in vitamin D supplementation schemes in the hitherto published studies means that no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the therapeutic effect of vitamin D, until larger well-designed interventional studies addressing issues such as the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>appropriate dose, duration, and mode of vitamin D administration have been completed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Study Design<\/span><\/h2><\/div>\n- This large cohort study assessed <\/span>the association between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity among Danish COVID-19 patients<\/span> using the Danish National Patient Registry, the Cancer Registry, the COVID-19 surveillance database, which<\/span> contains<\/span> information on all SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests carried out in Denmark, and blood samples stored in the<\/span> National Biobank.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To <\/span>determine<\/span> vitamin D status<\/span>,<\/span> v<\/span>itamin D level was calculated as the sum of<\/span> 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2<\/span> from a<\/span> blood sample collected 1\u2013<\/span>30 days<\/span> before registration of a COVID-19 diagnosis was preferred. If this was not possible, a blood sample drawn on the<\/span> date of registration or 1\u20132 days af<\/span>t<\/span>er was selected, and if this <\/span>was not available<\/span>, the most recent<\/span> blood sample collected up to <\/span>24 months<\/span> before the COVID-19 registration<\/span> was used.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To conf<\/span>i<\/span>rm the diagnosis of COVID-19, the study cohort<\/span> was linked to the SSI COVID-19 surveillance database, which includes results for every SARS-CoV-2 PCR test<\/span> carried out in Denmark since February 2020<\/span>, <\/span>it also <\/span>contains<\/span> information on hospitalizations, admissions to ICU, and COVID-19 related death<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- F<\/span>our categories of increasing <\/span>COVID <\/span>severity<\/span> were defined<\/span>: (1) no hospital<\/span> admission (incl. hospital contacts<\/span><\/span> <12 h), (2) hospitalized (\u226512 h), but not admitted to ICU, (3) admitted to<\/span> ICU, regardless of duration of hospital contact and (4) death within <\/span>30 days<\/span> af<\/span>t<\/span>er a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Confounders such as age, obesity and other illness were <\/span>identified<\/span> from the records.<\/span><\/li>\n
- 25(OH)D levels were <\/span>define<\/span>d<\/span> as<\/span>, (<25 nmol\/L (def<\/span>i<\/span>cient), 25<\/span> to<\/span><\/span> <50 nmol\/L (<\/span>insufficient<\/span>), and<\/span><\/span> \u226550 nmol\/L (<\/span>sufficient<\/span>)) and as a continuous variable.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Reference<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Nielsen, N.M., Junker, T.G., Cohen, A.S. et al. Vitamin D status and severity of COVID-19. Sci Rep 12, 19823 (2022). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-022-21513-9<\/span><\/span>
Vitamin D Status and Severity of COVID-19<\/h1><\/div>Take Home Message<\/span><\/h2><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Results<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n- 11%, 30% and 59% of the cohort members had vitamin D <\/span>deficiency<\/span>, <\/span>insufficiency<\/span> or <\/span>sufficiency<\/span>,<\/span> respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Vitamin D level was statistically significantly associated with sex, age, country of origin<\/span> and comorbidity, but not with obesity or time interval between date of blood sample drawn and SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/li>\n
- 68% (145\/212) of the cohort members \u2265 70 years had sufficient vitamin D levels versus 50% among individuals<\/span> <70 years (118\/235), and vitamin D sufficiency was more<\/span> common among individuals with comorbidities than among individuals without comorbidities (68% (115\/168) versus 53% (148\/279), respectively).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Among the 447 cohort members, 126 (28%) were not hospitalized, 205 (46%) were hospitalized for COVID<\/span>–<\/span>19, but not admitted to an ICU, 34 (8%) were admitted to an ICU and 82 (18%) died from COVID-19.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Lower levels of vitamin D were associated with higher COVID-19 severity among males younger than<\/span> 65 years of age but not among women of same age. Among the older men and women, the relationship between<\/span> vitamin D levels and severity of COVID-19 resembled a U-formed association <\/span>i.e.,<\/span> highest vitamin D levels were<\/span> observed<\/span> among those who were not hospitalized and among those who did not survive COVID-19.<\/span><\/li>\n
- O<\/span>dds of experiencing<\/span> more severe COVID-19 among individuals with <\/span>insufficient<\/span> (25 to<\/span><\/span> < 50 nmol\/L) and <\/span>sufficient<\/span> (\u2265 50 nmol\/L) 25(OH)D levels were approximately 50% of that among individuals with <\/span>deficient<\/span> levels<\/span> (< 25 nmol\/L) (POR= 0.49 (95% CI 0.25\u20130.94), POR= 0.51 (95% CI 0.27\u20130.96), respectively).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Who<\/span><\/h2><\/div>447 COVID positive patients from the<\/span><\/span> Danish population (Danish nation-wide health registers<\/span> the<\/span> COVID-19 surveillance database and stored blood samples<\/span> from the national biobank<\/span>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Things to Keep in Mind<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Some comorbidities may not have been accounted for and since this was a chart review some aspects that may have contributed to deaths and severity of illness may not have been accounted for<\/span>. The data was gathered at the beginning of the pandemic, in<\/span><\/span> 2020<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> and may not reflect <\/span>the <\/span>results of different strains that have developed since and do not account for how outcomes may be <\/span>impacted<\/span> by vaccine status.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Author\u2019s Conclusions<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, we observed that deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome. The possible role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of COVID-19 has already been assessed in randomized controlled trials, but as pointed out in recent meta-analyses, large variations in vitamin D supplementation schemes in the hitherto published studies means that no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the therapeutic effect of vitamin D, until larger well-designed interventional studies addressing issues such as the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>appropriate dose, duration, and mode of vitamin D administration have been completed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Study Design<\/span><\/h2><\/div>\n- This large cohort study assessed <\/span>the association between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity among Danish COVID-19 patients<\/span> using the Danish National Patient Registry, the Cancer Registry, the COVID-19 surveillance database, which<\/span> contains<\/span> information on all SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests carried out in Denmark, and blood samples stored in the<\/span> National Biobank.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To <\/span>determine<\/span> vitamin D status<\/span>,<\/span> v<\/span>itamin D level was calculated as the sum of<\/span> 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2<\/span> from a<\/span> blood sample collected 1\u2013<\/span>30 days<\/span> before registration of a COVID-19 diagnosis was preferred. If this was not possible, a blood sample drawn on the<\/span> date of registration or 1\u20132 days af<\/span>t<\/span>er was selected, and if this <\/span>was not available<\/span>, the most recent<\/span> blood sample collected up to <\/span>24 months<\/span> before the COVID-19 registration<\/span> was used.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To conf<\/span>i<\/span>rm the diagnosis of COVID-19, the study cohort<\/span> was linked to the SSI COVID-19 surveillance database, which includes results for every SARS-CoV-2 PCR test<\/span> carried out in Denmark since February 2020<\/span>, <\/span>it also <\/span>contains<\/span> information on hospitalizations, admissions to ICU, and COVID-19 related death<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- F<\/span>our categories of increasing <\/span>COVID <\/span>severity<\/span> were defined<\/span>: (1) no hospital<\/span> admission (incl. hospital contacts<\/span><\/span> <12 h), (2) hospitalized (\u226512 h), but not admitted to ICU, (3) admitted to<\/span> ICU, regardless of duration of hospital contact and (4) death within <\/span>30 days<\/span> af<\/span>t<\/span>er a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Confounders such as age, obesity and other illness were <\/span>identified<\/span> from the records.<\/span><\/li>\n
- 25(OH)D levels were <\/span>define<\/span>d<\/span> as<\/span>, (<25 nmol\/L (def<\/span>i<\/span>cient), 25<\/span> to<\/span><\/span> <50 nmol\/L (<\/span>insufficient<\/span>), and<\/span><\/span> \u226550 nmol\/L (<\/span>sufficient<\/span>)) and as a continuous variable.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Reference<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Nielsen, N.M., Junker, T.G., Cohen, A.S. et al. Vitamin D status and severity of COVID-19. Sci Rep 12, 19823 (2022). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-022-21513-9<\/span><\/span>
Take Home Message<\/span><\/h2><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Results<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n- 11%, 30% and 59% of the cohort members had vitamin D <\/span>deficiency<\/span>, <\/span>insufficiency<\/span> or <\/span>sufficiency<\/span>,<\/span> respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Vitamin D level was statistically significantly associated with sex, age, country of origin<\/span> and comorbidity, but not with obesity or time interval between date of blood sample drawn and SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/li>\n
- 68% (145\/212) of the cohort members \u2265 70 years had sufficient vitamin D levels versus 50% among individuals<\/span> <70 years (118\/235), and vitamin D sufficiency was more<\/span> common among individuals with comorbidities than among individuals without comorbidities (68% (115\/168) versus 53% (148\/279), respectively).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Among the 447 cohort members, 126 (28%) were not hospitalized, 205 (46%) were hospitalized for COVID<\/span>–<\/span>19, but not admitted to an ICU, 34 (8%) were admitted to an ICU and 82 (18%) died from COVID-19.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Lower levels of vitamin D were associated with higher COVID-19 severity among males younger than<\/span> 65 years of age but not among women of same age. Among the older men and women, the relationship between<\/span> vitamin D levels and severity of COVID-19 resembled a U-formed association <\/span>i.e.,<\/span> highest vitamin D levels were<\/span> observed<\/span> among those who were not hospitalized and among those who did not survive COVID-19.<\/span><\/li>\n
- O<\/span>dds of experiencing<\/span> more severe COVID-19 among individuals with <\/span>insufficient<\/span> (25 to<\/span><\/span> < 50 nmol\/L) and <\/span>sufficient<\/span> (\u2265 50 nmol\/L) 25(OH)D levels were approximately 50% of that among individuals with <\/span>deficient<\/span> levels<\/span> (< 25 nmol\/L) (POR= 0.49 (95% CI 0.25\u20130.94), POR= 0.51 (95% CI 0.27\u20130.96), respectively).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Who<\/span><\/h2><\/div>447 COVID positive patients from the<\/span><\/span> Danish population (Danish nation-wide health registers<\/span> the<\/span> COVID-19 surveillance database and stored blood samples<\/span> from the national biobank<\/span>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Things to Keep in Mind<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Some comorbidities may not have been accounted for and since this was a chart review some aspects that may have contributed to deaths and severity of illness may not have been accounted for<\/span>. The data was gathered at the beginning of the pandemic, in<\/span><\/span> 2020<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> and may not reflect <\/span>the <\/span>results of different strains that have developed since and do not account for how outcomes may be <\/span>impacted<\/span> by vaccine status.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Author\u2019s Conclusions<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, we observed that deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome. The possible role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of COVID-19 has already been assessed in randomized controlled trials, but as pointed out in recent meta-analyses, large variations in vitamin D supplementation schemes in the hitherto published studies means that no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the therapeutic effect of vitamin D, until larger well-designed interventional studies addressing issues such as the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>appropriate dose, duration, and mode of vitamin D administration have been completed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Study Design<\/span><\/h2><\/div>\n- This large cohort study assessed <\/span>the association between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity among Danish COVID-19 patients<\/span> using the Danish National Patient Registry, the Cancer Registry, the COVID-19 surveillance database, which<\/span> contains<\/span> information on all SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests carried out in Denmark, and blood samples stored in the<\/span> National Biobank.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To <\/span>determine<\/span> vitamin D status<\/span>,<\/span> v<\/span>itamin D level was calculated as the sum of<\/span> 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2<\/span> from a<\/span> blood sample collected 1\u2013<\/span>30 days<\/span> before registration of a COVID-19 diagnosis was preferred. If this was not possible, a blood sample drawn on the<\/span> date of registration or 1\u20132 days af<\/span>t<\/span>er was selected, and if this <\/span>was not available<\/span>, the most recent<\/span> blood sample collected up to <\/span>24 months<\/span> before the COVID-19 registration<\/span> was used.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To conf<\/span>i<\/span>rm the diagnosis of COVID-19, the study cohort<\/span> was linked to the SSI COVID-19 surveillance database, which includes results for every SARS-CoV-2 PCR test<\/span> carried out in Denmark since February 2020<\/span>, <\/span>it also <\/span>contains<\/span> information on hospitalizations, admissions to ICU, and COVID-19 related death<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- F<\/span>our categories of increasing <\/span>COVID <\/span>severity<\/span> were defined<\/span>: (1) no hospital<\/span> admission (incl. hospital contacts<\/span><\/span> <12 h), (2) hospitalized (\u226512 h), but not admitted to ICU, (3) admitted to<\/span> ICU, regardless of duration of hospital contact and (4) death within <\/span>30 days<\/span> af<\/span>t<\/span>er a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Confounders such as age, obesity and other illness were <\/span>identified<\/span> from the records.<\/span><\/li>\n
- 25(OH)D levels were <\/span>define<\/span>d<\/span> as<\/span>, (<25 nmol\/L (def<\/span>i<\/span>cient), 25<\/span> to<\/span><\/span> <50 nmol\/L (<\/span>insufficient<\/span>), and<\/span><\/span> \u226550 nmol\/L (<\/span>sufficient<\/span>)) and as a continuous variable.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Reference<\/span><\/h2><\/div>Nielsen, N.M., Junker, T.G., Cohen, A.S. et al. Vitamin D status and severity of COVID-19. Sci Rep 12, 19823 (2022). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-022-21513-9<\/span><\/span>
In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> 447 COVID positive patients from the<\/span><\/span> Danish population (Danish nation-wide health registers<\/span> the<\/span> COVID-19 surveillance database and stored blood samples<\/span> from the national biobank<\/span>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Some comorbidities may not have been accounted for and since this was a chart review some aspects that may have contributed to deaths and severity of illness may not have been accounted for<\/span>. The data was gathered at the beginning of the pandemic, in<\/span><\/span> 2020<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> and may not reflect <\/span>the <\/span>results of different strains that have developed since and do not account for how outcomes may be <\/span>impacted<\/span> by vaccine status.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> In this Danish observational study of 447 COVID-19 patients, we observed that deficient vitamin D levels were associated with an elevated risk of progressing to a more severe COVID-19 outcome. The possible role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of COVID-19 has already been assessed in randomized controlled trials, but as pointed out in recent meta-analyses, large variations in vitamin D supplementation schemes in the hitherto published studies means that no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the therapeutic effect of vitamin D, until larger well-designed interventional studies addressing issues such as the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>appropriate dose, duration, and mode of vitamin D administration have been completed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Nielsen, N.M., Junker, T.G., Cohen, A.S. et al. Vitamin D status and severity of COVID-19. Sci Rep 12, 19823 (2022). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-022-21513-9<\/span><\/span>Results<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Who<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
Things to Keep in Mind<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
Author\u2019s Conclusions<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
“<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Study Design<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Reference<\/span><\/h2><\/div>