ArticleAging clinical and experimental research2021
Severe vitamin D deficiency is not related to SARS-CoV-2 infection but may increase mortality risk in hospitalized adults: a retrospective case-control study in an Arab Gulf country.
Article in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin D Deficiency and Comorbidities as Risk Factors of COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of effect of vitamin D levels on the incidence of COVID-19.Cardiology journal · 2021Pooled it
- Vitamin D Status and SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin D Supplementation to Prevent COVID-19 in Frontline Healthcare Workers. A Randomized Clinical Trial.Archives of medical research · 2022Trial
- Vitamin D Status and Its Association with Multiple Intelligence among Arab Adolescents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Low 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with severe COVID-19: an observational study in hospitalized patients.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Association between vitamin D and COVID-19 infection and mortality in Taiwanese patients.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Interplay-Vitamin D and ACE-2 Molecular Interactions in Mitigating Complications and Deaths from SARS-CoV-2.Biology · 2024Review
- Article
- Correlation of vitamin D levels with serum parameters in Covid-19 patients.Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 2023Article
- Correlation of Plasma 25(OH)DNutrients · 2023Article
- Vitamin D and COVID-19: where are we now?Postgraduate medicine · 2023Review
- Effect of vitamin D status on adult COVID-19 pneumonia induced by Delta variant: A longitudinal, real-world cohort study.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- The Role of Some Vitamins in Respiratory-related Viral Infections: A Narrative Review.Clinical nutrition research · 2023Review
- Evaluation of 34 Cytokines and Vitamin D Status Reveal A Sexually-Dimorphic Active Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Association of Vitamin D Knowledge, Behavior and Attitude with BMI Status among Arab Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Pathogenic Connections in Post-COVID Conditions: What Do We Know in the Large Unknown? A Narrative Review.Viruses · 2022Review
- Calcifediol for Use in Treatment of Respiratory Disease.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Heterogeneity and Risk of Bias in Studies Examining Risk Factors for Severe Illness and Death in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAs the world continues to cautiously navigate its way through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several breakthroughs in therapies and vaccines are currently being developed and scrutinized. Consequently, alternative therapies for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prevention, such as vitamin D supplementation, while hypothetically promising, require substantial evidence from countries affected by COVID-19. The present retrospective case-control study aims to identify differences in vitamin D status and clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients screened for SARS-CoV-2, and determine associations of vitamin D levels with increased COVID-19 risk and mortality.
methodsA total of 222 [SARS-CoV-2 (+) N = 150 (97 males; 53 females); SARS-CoV-2 (-) N = 72 (38 males, 34 females)] out of 550 hospitalized adult patients screened for SARS-CoV-2 and admitted at King Saud University Medical City-King Khalid University Hospital (KSUMC-KKUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from May-July 2020 were included. Clinical, radiologic and serologic data, including 25(OH)D levels were analyzed.
resultsVitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l) was present in 75% of all patients. Serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower among SARS-CoV-2 (+) than SARS-CoV-2 (-) patients after adjusting for age, sex and body mass index (BMI) (35.8 ± 1.5 nmol/l vs. 42.5 ± 3.0 nmol/l; p = 0.037). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that significant predictors for SARS-CoV-2 include age > 60 years and pre-existing conditions (p < 0.05). Statistically significant predictors for mortality adjusted for covariates include male sex [Odds ratio, OR 3.3 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.2-9.2); p = 0.02], chronic kidney disease [OR 3.5 (95% CI 1.4-8.7); p = 0.008] and severe 25(OH)D deficiency (< 12.5 nmol/l), but at borderline significance [OR 4.9 (95% CI (0.9-25.8); p = 0.06].
conclusionIn hospital settings, 25(OH)D deficiency is not associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but may increase risk for mortality in severely deficient cases. Clinical trials are warranted to determine whether vitamin D status correction provides protective effects against worse COVID-19 outcomes.
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