Effect of vitamin D blood levels on the disease in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

The danger of COVID-19 infection is its higher contagiousness (several times higher than influenza), a long incubation period (up to 14 days), and is complicated by the fact that patients without any symptoms are carriers of the infection. Currently, the clinical and epidemiological researches on the characteristics of the disease continue, along with the development of the new means of its prevention and treatment. The most important preventive resource is the activation of the antiviral innate immune system. According to the literature, an adequate supply of vitamin D is one of the foundations of the antiviral immune system, including against the influenza virus. No clinical trials have been conducted to determine the relationship between vitamin D blood level and clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients. To study the effect of blood levels of vitamin D in patients infected with COVID-19 on the course of the disease and the outcome of treatment, a medical history of 19 patients with laboratoryconfirmed COVID-19 infection was analyzed. The patients were treated at the «MediClub» LLC between 15.06.2020-15.07.2020. «MediClub» hospital was approved by «TABIB» Azerbaijan for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Data on clinical manifestations and blood 25hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were obtained from all medical histories. A retrospective analysis of laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 showed a relationship between the blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and the nature of the course of COVID-19 and the development of complications of the disease. Taking into account the main cause of critical complications of COVID-19 is impaired immunity, and cholecalciferol harmonizes the functioning of the immune system at all its levels, it can be concluded that an adequate level of vitamin D in the blood increases the likelihood of a light course of COVID-19 and its favorable outcome.