Vitamin D levels severely low in aging population, the most vulnerable population to COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There is a crude correlation between vitamin D levels and the number of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 mortality, according to a study published online May 6 in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
Petre Cristian Ilie, M.D., Ph.D., from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust in King’s Lynn, England, and colleagues examined the potential correlation between mean levels of vitamin D in countries with cases and mortality caused by COVID-19. For 20 European countries, the mean levels of vitamin D and morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19 were obtained.
The researchers found that in each country, there were negative correlations observed between the mean levels of vitamin D and the number of COVID-19 cases and mortality. In the aging population, vitamin D levels were severely low, especially in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. This population was also the most vulnerable group with respect to COVID-19.
“Vitamin D has already been shown to protect against acute respiratory infections and it was shown to be safe,” the authors write. “It should be advisable to perform dedicated studies about vitamin D levels in COVID-19 patients with different degrees of disease severity.”
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