80% of Covid-19 patients have vitamin D deficiency: Study

Vitamin D is a hormone the kidneys produce that controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system.

According to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, over 80 per cent of 200 Covid-19 patients in a hospital in Spain have vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is a hormone the kidneys produce that controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of health concerns, although research is still underway into why the hormone impacts other systems of the body. Many studies point to the beneficial effect of vitamin D on the immune system, especially regarding protection against infections.

“One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and nursing home residents, who are the main target population for the Covid-19,” said study co-author Jose L. Hernandez, Ph.D., of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain.

“Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in Covid-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system,” added Hernandez.

The researchers found 80 per cent of 216 Covid-19 patients at the Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla had vitamin D deficiency, and men had lower vitamin D levels than women.

Covid-19 patients with lower vitamin D levels also had raised serum levels of inflammatory markers such as ferritin and D-dimer. (ANI)