Vitamin D Insufficiency in Disease Severity and Prognosis of the Patients with SARS Corona Virus-2 Infection

Abstract

The global crisis caused by the SARS Corona virus-2 infection is continuing through 2021, with more than 3.5 million deaths. Several risk factors for this virus’s severity and death were documented, including diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. To evaluate the relation between serum vitamin D3 level, the disease severity, and prognosis of the patients with SARS Corona virus-2 infection. Patients with COVID-19 were evaluated for serum vitamin D levels and laboratory data. Correlation between vitamin D levels and laboratory data with disease severity and prognosis was assessed. Cox and logistic regression tests, as well as ROC curves, were used for data analysis. Ninety-eight patients with Corona virus-2 disease (COVID-19), which consisted of sixty patients with moderate COVID-19 in the general wards, and thirty-eight patients with severe COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU), were evaluated. The mean age in the general wards was lower than in ICU (60.96±14.86 compared to 67.94±16.46, P=0.001), and the mean serum vitamin D level in the patients admitted in the general wards was higher than in the ICU (31 ng/mL compared to 20.57 ng/mL, P=0.003). Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency (25 (OH) D <25 ng/ml) significantly increased the risk of severe disease. (odds ratio=2.91, P=0.019) and mortality (odds ratio=3.64, P=0.026). Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for disease severity and poor prognosis in COVID-19. Vitamin D levels of 25 ng/mL can be used as a cut-off value for predicting severity and prognosis.

Keywords

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Prognosis
• Risk factor
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
• Severity
• Vitamin D