Vitamin D Deficiency Prevalence in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Significantly Decreased during the Pandemic in Slovakia from 2020 to 2022 Which Was Associated with Decreasing Mortality

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to changes in lifestyle, which could influence vitamin D status on a population level. The purpose of our study was to compare 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels in patients hospitalized because of severe COVID-19 during two waves of the pan...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Juraj Smaha, Peter Jackuliak, Martin Kužma, Filip Max, Neil Binkley, Juraj Payer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-02-01
Series:Nutrients
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/5/1132
Description
Summary:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to changes in lifestyle, which could influence vitamin D status on a population level. The purpose of our study was to compare 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels in patients hospitalized because of severe COVID-19 during two waves of the pandemic (2020/21 vs. 2021/22). A total of 101 patients from the 2021/22 wave were compared with 101 sex- and age-matched subjects from the 2020/21 wave. Patients from both groups were hospitalized during the winter season from 1 December to 28 February. Men and women were analyzed together and separately. The mean 25(OH)D concentration increased from 17.8 ± 9.7 ng/mL to 25.2 ± 12.6 ng/mL between waves. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) decreased from 82% to 54%. The prevalence of adequate serum 25(OH)D concentration (>30 ng/mL) increased from 10% to 34% (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). The proportion of patients with a history of vitamin D supplementation increased from 18% to 44% (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Low serum 25(OH)D concentration was independently associated with mortality after adjusting for age and sex for the whole cohort of patients (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). The prevalence of inadequate vitamin D status in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Slovakia decreased significantly, probably due to a higher rate of vitamin D supplementation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISSN:2072-6643