Vitamin D Status Linked to SARS-CoV-2 Infection Susceptibility and Severity

Strategic Insights -

Research presented at a Milan, Italy university has suggested a potential link between vitamin D status and susceptibility to and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in kidney transplanted patients. The study found that patients with lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were more likely to contract SARS-CoV-2, but no significant association between vitamin D status and infection-related outcomes was found. This research adds to the ongoing discussion about the role of vitamin D in protecting against viral infections.

Key Takeaways:

  • A total of 61 kidney transplanted patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COV+) were matched with 122 healthy kidney transplanted controls (COV-) in the study.
  • The mean 25(OH)D levels in COV+ patients were lower than in controls at 19(12-26) ng/mL vs. 23(17-31) ng/mL, with a statistically significant difference (*p*=0.01).
  • No differences among other biochemical parameters were found in the study.
  • The discriminative power of 25(OH)D in SARS-CoV-2 infection was evaluated by ROC-curve (AUC 0.61, 95% CI 0.5-0.7, *p*=0.01).
  • The study found that 25(OH)D levels were not significantly different between patients who required hospitalization (HOSP+) and those who did not (20(15-26) ng/mL vs. 17(8-25) ng/mL, *p*=0.19), and between patients who died (D+) and those who survived (D-) (20(14-26) ng/mL vs. 20(8-25) ng/mL was not calculated due to "no" significant difference specified).
  • No correlation was found between 25(OH)D levels and disease length.

Statistics:

  • A total of 61 kidney transplanted patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COV+) were studied.
  • The mean 25(OH)D levels in COV+ patients were 19(12-26) ng/mL.
  • The discriminative power of 25(OH)D in SARS-CoV-2 infection was evaluated by ROC-curve with a statistically significant difference (*p*=0.01).

Sources:

  • "Vitamin D Status and SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Cohort of Kidney Transplanted Patients". Nutrients, 2022,14(317):317. (Nutrients - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients/).
  • NewsRx. Studies from Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Add New Findings in the Area of COVID-19 (Vitamin D Status and SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Cohort of Kidney Transplanted Patients). Respiratory Therapeutics Week. February 7, 2022; p 948.