Observational studyNutrients2021
COVID-19 Disease Severity and Death in Relation to Vitamin D Status among SARS-CoV-2-Positive UAE Residents.
Observational study in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin D Deficiency Meets Hill's Criteria for Causation in SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility, Complications, and Mortality: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Severe COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Hospital and laboratory outcomes of patients with COVID-19 who received vitamin D supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Is the vitamin D status of patients with COVID-19 associated with reduced mortality? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2023Pooled it
- The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A semantic FAIRness framework for epidemiological analysis of COVID-19 data in the UAE.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Association between 25(OH)D levels and clinical outcomes in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the Causal Effects of Micronutrient Supplementation on Susceptibility to Viral Pneumonia: A Mendelian Randomization Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Vitamin D-inducible antimicrobial peptide LL-37 binds SARS-CoV-2 Spike and accessory proteins ORF7a and ORF8.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Interplay-Vitamin D and ACE-2 Molecular Interactions in Mitigating Complications and Deaths from SARS-CoV-2.Biology · 2024Review
- Associations between pre-infection serum vitamin D concentrations and Omicron COVID-19 incidence, severity and reoccurrence in elderly individuals.Public health nutrition · 2024Article
- Clinical Evidence on the Potential Beneficial Effects of Diet and Dietary Supplements against COVID-19 Infection Risk and Symptoms' Severity.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Vitamin D Levels as a Marker of Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Smoking as a Risk or Protective Factor in Developing and Severity of COVID-19?Journal of acute medicine · 2023Article
- Is Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level Associated with Severity of COVID-19? A Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Effect of Single High Dose Vitamin D Substitution in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency on Length of Hospital Stay.Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Correlation of Plasma 25(OH)DNutrients · 2023Article
- Evidence That Increasing Serum 25(OH)D Concentrations to 30 ng/mL in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Could Greatly Improve Health Outcomes.Biomedicines · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D's plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. We examined the relation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality among the multiethnic population of the United Arab Emirates. Our observational study used data for 522 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at one of the main hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Only 464 of those patients were included for data analysis. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Serum samples immediately drawn at the first hospital visit were used to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations through automated electrochemiluminescence. Levels < 12 ng/mL were significantly associated with higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and of death. Age was the only other independent risk factor, whereas comorbidities and smoking did not contribute to the outcomes upon adjustment. Sex of patients was not an important predictor for severity or death. Our study is the first conducted in the UAE to measure 25(OH)D levels in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and confirm the association of levels < 12 ng/mL with COVID-19 severity and mortality.
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