Does the Level of Vitamin D in COVID-19 Patients Affect the Survival and Duration of Hospital Stay?

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of categorized and normal vitamin D levels on hospital stay and mortality in adult patients with COVID-19.

Methods: One hundred sixty-eight hospitalized patients due to coronavirus disease 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. The study data were collected from medical records (age, gender, comorbidity, vitamin D level, duration of hospital stay, mortality/ survival status). Serum 25(OH) vitamin D level ≥ 30 ng/mL is defined as normal, 20-29 ng/mL is an insufficiency level, and less than 20 ng/mL is defined as a deficiency level.

Results: The mean vitamin D level of 168 patients was 18.72 ± 11.18 ng/mL, and 79.4% of patients with vitamin D deficiency had comorbidity. When vitamin D levels were categorized, there was no difference between the groups regarding hospital stay and survival (P > .05). However, when the mean vitamin D levels between the deceased and surviving patients were assessed, vitamin D levels were significantly higher in the survivors (P=.019). Vitamin D significantly affected survival compared to the univariate model (P=.044), while there was no significant effect on the multivariate model (P > .05). Even when the factors affecting the vitamin D level were adjusted, no significant results were found.

Conclusion: Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, vitamin D levels did not support an association between the duration of hospital stay and mortality.

Cite this article as: Çetin Özbek S, Özsoy S, Öztürk L. Does the level of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients affect the survival and duration of hospital stay? Clin Sci Nutr. 2023;5(2):41-49.