A study of over 200 Covid-19 cases in a hospital in Spain found that about 80 per cent patients had vitamin D deficiency, scientists said on Wednesday.

However, the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, did not find any relationship between vitamin D concentrations or vitamin deficiency and the severity of the disease.

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

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

“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,” said Jose L Hernandez, of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain.

“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 Covid-19,” said Hernendez.

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Vitamin D controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system, the researchers said.

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, they said.

Many studies point to the beneficial effect of vitamin D on the immune system, especially in the protection against infections.

PTI

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