Vitamin D Deficiency in COVID-19 Patients and Role of Calcifediol Supplementation

Abstract

Hypovitaminosis D has been associated with worse outcome in respiratory tract infections, with conflicting opinions regarding its role in Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). Our study aimed to evaluate the possible relationship between 25-OH vitamin D (25OHD) values and the following conditions in patients hospitalized for COVID-19: prognosis, mortality, invasive (IV) and non-invasive (NIV) mechanical ventilation, and orotracheal intubation (OTI). A further objective was the analysis of a possible positive effect of supplementation with calcifediol on COVID-19 severity and prognosis. We analyzed 288 patients hospitalized at the San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Florence and the Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital in Siena, from November 2020 to February 2021. The 25OHD levels correlated positively with the partial pressure of oxygen and FiO2 (PaO2/FiO2) ratio (r = 0.17; p p = 0.005), as well as between patients with 25OHD levels below 20 ng/mL and those with levels above that threshold (38.4% vs. 24.6%, p = 0.04). Moreover, COVID-19 patients supplemented with calcifediol presented a significantly reduced length of hospitalization (p p < 0.05) In conclusion, we have demonstrated with our study the best prognosis of COVID-19 patients with adequate vitamin D levels and patients treated with calcifediol supplementation.

Keywords

• vitamin D deficiency
• 25-OH vitamin D
• COVID-19
• calcifediol
• vitamin D supplementation
• SARS-CoV-2