Vitamin D and Lung Outcomes in Elderly COVID-19 Patients.

Abstract

Background and aim: Vitamin D deficiency is frequently reported in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to correlate the 25OH-Vitamin D serum concentrations with clinical parameters of lung involvement, in elderly patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: Sixty-five consecutive COVID-19 patients (mean age 76 ± 13 years) and sixty-five sex- and age-matched control subjects (CNT) were analyzed. The following clinical parameters, including comorbidities, were collected at admission: type of pulmonary involvement, respiratory parameters (PaO2, SO2, PaCO2, PaO2/FiO2), laboratory parameters (including 25OH-vitamin D, D-dimer, C-reactive protein). Results: Significantly lower vitamin D serum levels were found in COVID-19 patients than in CNT (median 7.9 vs 16.3 ng/mL, p = 0.001). Interestingly, a statistically significant positive correlation was observed between vitamin D serum levels and PaO2 (p = 0.03), SO2 (p = 0.05), PaO2/FiO2 (p = 0.02), while a statistically significant negative correlation was found between vitamin D serum levels and D-dimer (p = 0.04), C-reactive protein (p = 0.04) and percentage of O2 in a venturi mask (p = 0.04). A negative correlation was also observed between vitamin D serum levels and severity of radiologic pulmonary involvement, evaluated by computed tomography: in particular, vitamin D was found significantly lower in COVID-19 patients with either multiple lung consolidations (p = 0.0001) or diffuse/severe interstitial lung involvement than in those with mild involvement (p = 0.05). Finally, significantly lower vitamin D serum levels were found in the elderly COVID-19 patients who died during hospitalization, compared to those who survived (median 3.0 vs 8.4 ng/mL, p = 0.046). Conclusions: This study confirms that 25OH-vitamin D serum deficiency is associated with more severe lung involvement, longer disease duration and risk of death, in elderly COVID-19 patients. The detection of low vitamin D levels also in younger COVID-19 patients with less comorbidities further suggests vitamin D deficiency as crucial risk factor at any age.

• Authors: Alberto Sulli, Emanuele Gotelli, Andrea Casabella, Sabrina Paolino, Carmen Pizzorni, Elisa Alessandri, Marco Grosso, Diego Ferone, Vanessa Smith, Maurizio Cutolo
• Journal: Nutrients (Nutrients) Vol. 13 Issue 3 (Feb 24 2021) ISSN: 2072-6643 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 33668240 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Vitamin D
• 25-hydroxyvitamin D

Topics

• Age Factors
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• COVID-19 (blood, diagnostic imaging, mortality, physiopathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Lung (diagnostic imaging, physiopathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Risk Factors
• SARS-CoV-2 (metabolism)
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• Vitamin D (analogs & derivatives, blood)
• Vitamin D Deficiency (blood, diagnostic imaging, mortality, physiopathology)