Potential immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D in the prevention of severe coronavirus disease 2019: An ally for Latin America (Review)

Abstract

Currently, the world is under a pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease is characterized by a respiratory syndrome that can progress to an acute respiratory distress syndrome. To date, limited effective therapies are available for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19; therefore, it is necessary to propose novel treatment options with immunomodulatory effects. Vitamin D serves functions in bone health and has been recently reported to exert protective effects against respiratory infections. Observational studies have demonstrated an association between vitamin D deficiency and a poor prognosis of COVID-19; this is alarming as vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem. In Latin America, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is unknown, and currently, this region is in the top 10 according to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Supplementation with vitamin D may be a useful adjunctive treatment for the prevention of COVID-19 complications. The present review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the potential immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D in the prevention of COVID-19 and sets out vitamin D recommendations for the Latin American population.

Vitamin D Levels in COVID-19 Outpatients from Western Mexico: Clinical Correlation and Effect of Its Supplementation

“…According to the committee of the Institute of Medicine, people are at risk of the condition called “hypovitaminosis D” at serum concentrations of 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/L (<12 ng/mL) [ 46 ]. It is also well known that differences in geographic location, skin color, and type of diet play an important role in the body disposition and metabolism of vitamin D [ 13 , 14 , 24 ]. In this sense, it has also been observed in the Mexican population that vitamin D deficiency is a common condition [ 47 ].…”

“…As reported by Turrubiates et al, vitamin D intervention as an adjunctive treatment may be crucial in severe cases of COVID-19 with low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels. Similarly, supplementation in therapeutic doses may help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, since the active metabolite of vitamin D exerts biological activities in the innate immune system [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Influence of sex on disease severity in children with COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Latin America

“…Vitamin D has also received attention in the immune pathogenesis of COVID-19 (17) and Pagano et al hypothesiezed that the synergy between Vitamin D3 and estrogen could affect the sex differences in the outcome of patients with COVID-19 (18, 19). However, no rigorous data are yet available on this issues and, in our series, Vitamin D levels have not been reported.…”

Association of Food Intake Quality with Vitamin D in SARS-CoV-2 Positive Patients from Mexico: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Studies that have evaluated the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), which corresponds to the main serum biomarker of this vitamin, have reported a high prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in patients with COVID-19, which has also been associated with the incidence and course of the disease [ 7 , 8 ]. The importance of vitamin D is due to its potential immunomodulatory effects that may prevent the severity of COVID-19 [ 9 ]. However, deficiency of this vitamin is considered a global public health problem where it is estimated that one billion people have deficient concentrations of 25(OH)D, while insufficiency affects ~50% of the world’s population [ 10 ].…”