One of the most prominent findings of the research work on the novel coronavirus has been on the role of vitamin D. Before the pandemic hit the world, vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin was perhaps best known for the role it plays in bone health. But as recent times have been witness, we know also know that this vitamin is crucial for keeping the immune system in good shape.
What’s more, recent studies have also found that a vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of covid-19. And now, a study claims that over 80% of covid-19 patients could be vitamin D deficient.
The study, which was published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism states that over 80% of 200 covid-19 patients in a hospital in Spain have a vitamin D deficiency.
“One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and nursing home residents, who are the main target population for the covid-19,” said study co-author Jose L. Hernandez, Ph.D., of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain.
“Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in covid-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system,” added Hernandez.
Covid-19 patients with lower vitamin D levels also had raised serum levels of inflammatory markers such as ferritin and D-dimer.
Vitamin D is a hormone that our kidneys produce. It controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of health concerns, although research is still underway into why the hormone impacts other systems of the body.
Many studies point to the beneficial effect of vitamin D on the immune system, especially regarding protection against infections.