Abstract
Several studies have demonstrated that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with better prognosis and outcomes in infectious diseases. We aimed to compare the vitamin D levels of paediatric patients with mild/moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and a healthy control group. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were hospitalised at our university hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 during the period between 25 May 2020 and 24 December 2020. The mean age of the COVID-19 patients was 10.7 ± 5.5 years (range 1-18 years); 43 (57.3%) COVID-19 patients were male. The mean serum vitamin D level was significantly lower in the COVID-19 group than the control group (21.5 ± 10.0 vs. 28.0 ± 11.0 IU, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group than the control group (44% vs. 17.5%, P < 0.001). Patients with low vitamin D levels were older than the patients with normal vitamin D levels (11.6 ± 4.9 vs. 6.2 ± 1.8 years, P = 0.016). There was a significant male preponderance in the normal vitamin D group compared with the low vitamin D group (91.7% vs. 50.8%, P = 0.03). C-reactive protein level was higher in the low vitamin D group, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (9.6 ± 2.2 vs. 4.5 ± 1.6 mg/l, P = 0.074). Our study provides an insight into the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 for future studies. Empiric intervention with vitamin D can be justified by low serum vitamin D levels.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a public health threat to the world population during the last year
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and coagulation disorders are the severe complications of this infection, which are rare in children [2]
We evaluated the medical records of 75 COVID-19 patients and 80 healthy controls
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a public health threat to the world population during the last year. A systemic inflammatory response resulting from the release of large amounts of inflammatory cytokines leads to ARDS [3] It has been stated at the beginning of the pandemic that children are affected less seriously than adults, it has been observed that children were affected by the infection at least as severely as adults [4]. It is known that vitamin D augments the expression of two antimicrobial peptides called cathelicidin and β-defensin, which play a key role in innate immunity [5, 6] These peptides are involved in direct microbicidal effects and have shown pleiotropic effects in inducing immunomodulatory responses to pathogenic stimuli. Vitamin D downregulates type 1 T cells and upregulates type 2 T cells It indirectly modulates the T-lymphocyte stimulatory function of antigenpresenting cells. It facilitates the induction of T regulatory cells and inhibits IL-17 secretion by Th17 cells, and directly upregulates IL-4 in T cells [7,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
