Effectiveness of Vitamin D Supplements among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: Results from a Monocentric Matched-Cohort Study
Vito Fiore, Andrea De Vito, Paola Bagella, Elija Princic, Anna Antonella Mariani, Lucia Denti, Alessandro Giuseppe Fois, Giordano Madeddu, Sergio Babudieri, Ivana Maida
Healthcare, doi:10.3390/healthcare10050956
Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of Vitamin D3 (VitD3) among patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the difference in survival rates between patients receiving and not VitD3. The secondary endpoints were to evaluate clinical outcomes, such as needing non-invasive ventilation (NIV), ICU transfer, and laboratory findings (inflammatory parameters). Methods: We conducted a retrospective, monocentric matched-cohort study, including patients attending our ward for COVID-19. Patients were divided into two groups depending on VitD3 administration (Group A) or not (Group B) among patients with low VitD levels (defined as blood levels < 30 ng/mL), which depended on physicians' judgment. Our internal protocol provides VitD3 100,000 UI/daily for two days. Findings: 58 patients were included in Group A, and 58 in Group B. Patients were matched for age, sex, comorbidities, COVID-19-related symptoms, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, blood exams, and medical treatments. Regarding the principal endpoint, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in survival rates [Group A vs. Group B = 3 vs. 11 (p = 0.042)]. When considering secondary endpoints, Group A patients were less likely to undergo NIV [Group A vs. Group B = 12 vs. 23 (p = 0.026)] and showed an improvement in almost all inflammatory parameters. Conclusions: The link between VitD3 deficiency and the clinical course of COVID-19 during hospitalization suggests that VitD3 level is a useful prognostic marker. Considering the safety of supplementation and the low cost, VitD3 replacement should be considered among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients needing hospitalization.
Author Contributions: V.F. and I.M. conceived the study. V.F., I.M., A.D.V., A.G.F., G.M., S.B., P.B., E.P., A.A.M. and L.D. organized the database. V.F. and A.D.V. performed statistical analysis. A.G.F., G.M., S.B. and I.M. supervised the study. V.F., A.D.V., P.B. and E.P. produced the manuscripts' first draft. All authors contributed to manuscript revision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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'abstract': '<jats:p>Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of Vitamin D3 (VitD3) among '
'patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the difference in '
'survival rates between patients receiving and not VitD3. The secondary endpoints were to '
'evaluate clinical outcomes, such as needing non-invasive ventilation (NIV), ICU transfer, and '
'laboratory findings (inflammatory parameters). Methods: We conducted a retrospective, '
'monocentric matched-cohort study, including patients attending our ward for COVID-19. '
'Patients were divided into two groups depending on VitD3 administration (Group A) or not '
'(Group B) among patients with low VitD levels (defined as blood levels < 30 ng/mL), which '
'depended on physicians’ judgment. Our internal protocol provides VitD3 100,000 UI/daily for '
'two days. Findings: 58 patients were included in Group A, and 58 in Group B. Patients were '
'matched for age, sex, comorbidities, COVID-19-related symptoms, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, blood exams, '
'and medical treatments. Regarding the principal endpoint, there was a statistically '
'significant difference between the two groups in survival rates [Group A vs. Group B = 3 vs. '
'11 (p = 0.042)]. When considering secondary endpoints, Group A patients were less likely to '
'undergo NIV [Group A vs. Group B = 12 vs. 23 (p = 0.026)] and showed an improvement in almost '
'all inflammatory parameters. Conclusions: The link between VitD3 deficiency and the clinical '
'course of COVID-19 during hospitalization suggests that VitD3 level is a useful prognostic '
'marker. Considering the safety of supplementation and the low cost, VitD3 replacement should '
'be considered among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients needing hospitalization.</jats:p>',
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