Health Link between Covid-19 and vitamin D deficiency
According to a latest study, there’s a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19 severity and mortality. The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE,
and conducted by researchers from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University in Safed, Israel and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel.
It analyzes vitamin D levels prior to infection as it gives a more accurate assessment of the effect than during hospitalization when levels of this vitamin may anyway be lower. The study is based on records of 1,176 patients admitted between April 2020 and February 2021 to the Galilee Medical Center (GMC) with positive PCR tests. They were searched for vitamin D levels measured two weeks to two years prior to infection.
“Patients with vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL) were 14 times more likely to have severe or critical case of COVID than those with more than 40 ng/mL,” reads the study. In another interesting finding, mortality among patients with sufficient vitamin D levels was 2.3 percent as compared to 25.6 percent in those with a vitamin D deficiency.
Adjustments for age, gender, season (summer/winter) and chronic diseases were made by researchers, and similar results indicated that low vitamin D level contributes significantly to disease severity and mortality.
“Our results suggest that it is advisable to maintain normal levels of vitamin D. This will be beneficial to those who contract the virus. There is a clear consensus
for vitamin D supplementation on a regular basis as advised by local health authorities as well as global health organizations,” said Dr Amiel Dror, of the Galilee Medical Center and Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, who led the study.
