The effects of vitamin D therapy on outcomes for hispanic patients hospitalized for COVID-19

Abstract: Abstracts from the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine J Gen Intern Med 37(Suppl 2):S129–S664 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-022-07653-8 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine 2022 THE EFFECTS OF VITAMIN D THERAPY ON OUTCOMES FOR HISPANIC PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED FOR COVID-19 Saqib Shahid1; Fatma Dihowm2 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, TX 2 Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El paso, TX. (Control ID #3709726) BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus that causes COVID19 has been shown to more severely affect individuals with underlying conditions, such as metabolic syndrome or diabetes. This is a reason why SARS-CoV-2 more severely affects populations at risk for these conditions, notably the Hispanic population. Vitamin D has been shown to be a positive immunomodulatory actor, shown to upregulate production of CAMP (cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide) and its effect on mitigating the severity of respiratory illnesses has been widely studied. Additionally, given vitamin D’s role in the functional regulation of pancreatic beta cells, this study aims to determine whether vitamin D plays a significant role in providing better outcomes for Hispanic patients with diabetes. Data will be gathered for patients treated at University Medical Center in El Paso, where the majority of the population treated is Hispanic, allowing us the opportunity to observe phenomena unique to this population. S194 METHODS: We collected data from the charts of 1,478 Hispanic patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 at University Medical Center El Paso. Comparisons were made between patients who received VItamin D therapy (705) and those who did not (773). The main outcome that was assessed was mortality, as well as secondary outcomes such as length of hospital stay, need for supplemental oxygen upon discharge, and ICU admission. Further comparisons were made between patients who suffer from diabetes and those who do not. RESULTS: Our preliminary results by way of a univariate analysis show that patients who were given Vitamin D therapy during their hospitalization had significantly lower rates of mortality (p<0.001). Patients in the group that received Vitamin D therapy were 38% less likely to die during their hospital stay (p<0.001). We also discovered that patients admitted to UMC El Paso were significantly more likely to be given Vitamin D therapy if they presented with respiratory and GI symptoms (p<0.001). A multivariate analysis on the relationship between previous history of diabetes and the efficacy of Vitamin D therapy is pending. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that Vitamin D therapy as a part of the treatment protocol for COVID-19 can significantly reduce mortality during hospitalization. As a result of the unique composition of our patient population, these findings can help build standards of practice that are applicable to the specific needs of Hispanic patients throughout the course of the pandemic. Because patients in the Hispanic population are more susceptible to severe symptoms due to their predisposition to comorbid conditions like diabetes, using protocols informed by evidence has the potential to prevent mortality on a large scale.