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A new study has found that Covid-19 hospitalised patients with low vitamin D levels may have a lower risk of dying or requiring mechanical ventilation if they receive vitamin D supplementation of at least 1,000 units weekly.
“Given how common vitamin D deficiency is in the world and the United States, we believe that this research is highly relevant right now,” said co-author Sweta Chekuri of Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.
Also read: Hyperglycemia during Covid-19 hospitalisation leads to kidney injury, worse outcomes: Study
The study, published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that vitamin D supplements can alleviate inflammation in Covid-19 patients.
For the research, the authors analysed 124 adult patients with low vitamin D that was measured up to three months before their admission for Covid-19.
They compared the patients who were supplemented with at least 1,000 units of vitamin D weekly to those who had not received vitamin D supplements.
The findings indicated that patients who were supplemented were less likely to be mechanically ventilated or to die following admission. However, the finding was not statistically significant — 37.5 per cent of patients who were not supplemented vs. 33.3 per cent of those who were.
The researchers also found that more than half of those who should have been supplemented were not.
Also read: Almost half of frontline health workers in US yet to receive Covid-19 vaccine
“Though we weren’t able to show a definitive link to severe Covid-19, it is clear that patients with low vitamin D should receive supplementation not only for bone health but also for stronger protection against severe Covid-19,” said co-author Corinne Levitus of Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Levitus added: “We hope this research will encourage clinicians to discuss adding this supplement with their patients who have low vitamin D, as this may reduce the odds of people developing severe Covid-19.”
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