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Vitamin D and COVID-19

Possible Link Between Vitamin D & COVID-19 Risk

        COVID-19 has taken the lives of over 890,000 people worldwide. Some populations have higher rates of COVID-19 infection while other populations have significantly lower rates. (See Who's at Risk) African Americans, older adults, nursing home residents, health care workers, and people living in Northern cities all have increased risk of COVID-19 infections. Interestingly, these communities at risk of higher COVID-19 infections were also more likely to be vitamin D deficient. Meanwhile, other populations such as pregnant women and those living in Japan have shown lower rates of COVID-19 infection and lower rates of vitamin D deficiency. According to Dr. David Meltzer, chief of hospital medicine at the University of Chicago, "Vitamin D is important to the function of the immune system and vitamin D supplements have previously shown to lower the risk of viral respiratory tract infections." While concrete evidence for whether vitamin D deficiency increases COVID-19 infection is lacking, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on September 3, 2020, looks more closely at the possible link between Vitamin D and COVID-19 risk. 

   The Study and Results

        The study, performed by Dr. David Meltzer (MD, PhD), looked at data from 489 patients who had vitamin D levels measured a year before getting tested for COVID-19. Of these 489 patients, the average age was 49 years old , 75% were women, and 68% of patients were non-White (primarily Black). Before COVID-19 testing, 25% of the patients were categorized as vitamin D deficient (<20ng/ml), 59% of patients were categorized as vitamin D sufficient, and 16% were categorized as uncertain.
       Within a year, 15% of the patients tested positive for COVID-19. The risk of infection for vitamin D deficient patients was 1.77 times that of vitamin D sufficient patients. The study found that patients who tested positive also tended to be older in age and non-white. Although analysis from this study indicates there is a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of COVID-19, there are confounding factors that could impact this association such as COVID-19 risk factors including age, race, and underlying conditions. The authors of the study believe that while it's likely vitamin D deficiency is related to increased COVID-19 risk, "randomized trials may be needed to determine whether vitamin D affects COVID-19 risk" (Association of Vitamin D Status and Other Clinical Characteristics with COVID-19 Test Results, JAMA).

Summary

        In short, patients from the study with vitamin D deficiency were almost twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to vitamin D sufficient patients. The authors of this study were not quick to jump to conclusions and believe further randomized trials are needed to confirm the results. However, they believe it's likely that vitamin D levels are associated with COVID-19 risk. Meanwhile, make sure to stay safe, wear a mask, and don't forget to go out once in a while for vitamin D doses from the sun!

Sources

  1. David O. Meltzer, MD. “Association of Vitamin D Status and Other Clinical Characteristics With COVID-19 Test Results.” JAMA Network Open, American Medical Association, 3 Sept. 2020, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770157. 

2. Rubin, Gretchen. “Vitamin D Deficiency May Raise Risk of Getting COVID-19.” UChicago Medicine, UChicago Medicine, 3 Sept. 2020, www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/vitamin-d-deficiency-may-raise-risk-of-getting-covid19.

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