Correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D/D3 Deficiency and COVID-19 Disease Severity in Adults from Northern Colorado

Bridget A. Baxter; Michaela G. Ryan; Stephanie M. LaVergne; Sophia Stromberg; Kailey Berry; Madison Tipton; Nicole Natter; Nikiah Nudell; Kim McFann; Julie Dunn; Tracy L. Webb; Michael Armstrong; Nichole Reisdorph; Elizabeth P. Ryan

doi:10.3390/nu14245204

Nutrients (Dec 2022)

Correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D/D3 Deficiency and COVID-19 Disease Severity in Adults from Northern Colorado

Bridget A. Baxter,
Michaela G. Ryan,
Stephanie M. LaVergne,
Sophia Stromberg,
Kailey Berry,
Madison Tipton,
Nicole Natter,
Nikiah Nudell,
Kim McFann,
Julie Dunn,
Tracy L. Webb,
Michael Armstrong,
Nichole Reisdorph,
Elizabeth P. Ryan

Affiliations

Bridget A. Baxter: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Michaela G. Ryan: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Stephanie M. LaVergne: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Sophia Stromberg: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Kailey Berry: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Madison Tipton: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Nicole Natter: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Nikiah Nudell: Medical Center of the Rockies, University of Colorado Health, Loveland, CO 80538, USA
Kim McFann: Medical Center of the Rockies, University of Colorado Health, Loveland, CO 80538, USA
Julie Dunn: Medical Center of the Rockies, University of Colorado Health, Loveland, CO 80538, USA
Tracy L. Webb: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Michael Armstrong: Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Nichole Reisdorph: Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Elizabeth P. Ryan: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245204
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 24
p. 5204

Abstract

Read online

Vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States and leads to altered immune function, including T cell and macrophage activity that may impact responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigated 131 adults with a history of a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal PCR and 18 adults with no COVID-19 diagnosis that were recruited from the community or hospital into the Northern Colorado Coronavirus Biorepository (NoCo-COBIO). Participants consented to enrollment for a period of 6 months and provided biospecimens at multiple visits for longitudinal analysis. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were quantified by LC-MS/MS at the initial visit (n = 149) and after 4 months (n = 89). Adults were classified as deficient (20 ng/mL) for 25-hydroxyvitamin D status. Fisher’s exact test demonstrated an association between disease severity, gender, and body mass index (BMI) at baseline. Mixed model analyses with Tukey-Kramer were used for longitudinal analysis according to BMI. Sixty-nine percent (n = 103) of the entire cohort had optimal levels of total 25(OH)D, 22% (n = 32) had insufficient levels, and 9% (n = 14) had deficent levels. Participants with severe disease (n = 37) had significantly lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (total 25(OH)D) when compared to adults with mild disease (p = 0.006) or no COVID-19 diagnosis (p = 0.007). There was 44% of the cohort with post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) as defined by experiencing at least one of the following symptoms after 60 days’ post-infection: fatigue, dyspnea, joint pain, chest pain, forgetfulness or absent-mindedness, confusion, or difficulty breathing. While significant differences were detected in 25-hydroxyvitamin D status by sex and BMI, there were no correlations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D for those without and without PASC. This longitudinal study of COVID-19 survivors demonstrates an important association between sex, BMI, and disease severity for 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency during acute stages of infection, yet it is not clear whether supplementation efforts would influence long term outcomes such as developing PASC.

Published in Nutrients

ISSN: 2072-6643 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Home economics: Nutrition. Foods and food supply
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords