Low levels of vitamin D are linked with higher severity and mortality rates among hospitalised COVID-19 patients, a recent study has found. 

“Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D was associated with increased disease severity and mortality,” the study, published in the PLOS ONE journal, concluded.

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The researchers looked at the records of 1,176 COVID positive patients admitted to the Galilee Medical Center between April 2020 and February 2021. Their vitamin D levels from two weeks to two years prior to infection were examined. 

Individuals with vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/ml) were found to be 14 times more likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19 as compared to those with more than 40 ng/ml, news agency ANI reported.

The mortality rate among those with a vitamin D deficiency was also significantly higher at 25.6%, as opposed to just 2.3% among those with normal vitamin D levels.

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“Our results suggest that it is advisable to maintain normal levels of vitamin D. This will be beneficial to those who contract the virus,” said Dr Amiel Dror, of the Galilee Medical Center (GMC) and Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, who led the study.

“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,” Dror added, as quoted by ANI.

Study co-author Prof. Michael Edelstein, of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, explained, “This study contributes to a continually evolving body of evidence suggesting that a patient’s history of vitamin D deficiency is a predictive risk factor associated with poorer Covid-19 clinical disease course and mortality.”

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“It is still unclear why certain individuals suffer severe consequences of Covid-19 infection while others don’t. Our finding adds a new dimension to solving this puzzle,” he said. 

The research is one of the first to look at this association between vitamin D levels before COVID infection and the severity of the disease.