Vitamin D can reduce risk of complications in Covid-19 Patients

New research has revealed that patients with enough levels of Vitamin D are less likely to face complications from coronavirus.

 According to the study published in the journal PLOS ONE, hospitalized Covid-19 patients who were vitamin D sufficient, with a blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of at least 30 ng/mL (a measure of vitamin D status) had a significantly decreased risk for adverse clinical outcomes and death.

Moreover, these patients had low levels of an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and more levels of lymphocytes (a type of immune cell to help fight infection).

A blood sample was taken from 235 patients to measure vitamin D status (measured serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) for the findings. These 235 patients were admitted to the hospital with Covid-19.

These patients were being observed for clinical results including clinical severity of the infection, becoming unconscious, having difficulty in breathing resulting in hypoxia (low oxygen level), and death.

The blood sample was also tested for an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and the number of lymphocytes. All these parameters in patients who were deficient were compared to those who were vitamin D sufficient.

As per the findings, in patients older than 40 years they observed that those patients who were vitamin D sufficient were 51.5 percent less likely to die from the infection compared to patients who were vitamin D deficient.

”This study provides direct evidence that vitamin D sufficiency can reduce the complications, including the cytokine storm (release of too many proteins into the blood too quickly) and ultimately death from Covid-19,” said study author Michael F. Holick from the Boston University in the US.

Holick said that being Vitamin D sufficient enables us to fight consequences with the coronavirus and other viruses as well. 

“There is great concern that the combination of influenza infection and a coronal viral infection could substantially increase hospitalizations and death due to complications from these viral infections,” Holick noted.