Vitamin D Deficit Increases the Risk of Death from COVID-19 in Brazil
Eliza Miranda Ramos *
Laboratory of Epidemiological Studies, School of Medicine, Post-graduation Program in Health and Development in the Midwest Region, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil and Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development in Health, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Daniel Ferreira de Lima Neto
Ministry of Health (MS), Secretary of Health Surveillance (SVS), Department of Strategic Coordination of Health Surveillance (DAEVS), General Coordination of Public Health Laboratories (GGLAB), Brasília-DF, Brazil.
Emerson Luiz Lima Araújo
Ministry of Health (MS), Secretary of Health Surveillance (SVS), Department of Strategic Coordination of Health Surveillance (DAEVS), General Coordination of Public Health Laboratories (GGLAB), Brasília-DF, Brazil.
James Venturini
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Postgraduate Program in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (PPGDIP/UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Gilberto Gonçalves Facco
Graduate Program in Environments and Regional Development, Anhanguera University, UNIDERP, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Hugo Miguel Ramos Vieira
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Postgraduate Program in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (PPGDIP/UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Grazielle Franco Ferro da Costa Rodrigues
Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development in Health, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Vitor Hugo dos Santos Duarte
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Graduate in Computer Engineering (FACOM), Campo Grande, Brazil.
Alexandra Maria Almeida Carvalho
Laboratory of Epidemiological Studies, School of Medicine, Post-graduation Program in Health and Development in the Midwest Region, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Introduction: The disease caused by the new Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was called COVID-19 and has currently been a public and emergency health concern in Brazil and other countries.
Aim: This article aims to describe the statistical associations of a group of patients who progressed to death with COVID-19 and who had a low level of Vitamin D in the blood.
Methods: This is an observational, case-control and clinical study involving 103 patients with COVID-19 and with severe symptoms that progressed to death.
Results: A total of 92 patients (89.3%) infected with COVID-19 died and had serum vitamin D levels significantly lower than 30 ng/ml. However, a total of 80 (77.6%) patients had a Vitamin D level of less than 20 ng/ml. Compared with the control group, all-cell levels of inflammatory markers were significantly higher in blood serum when level with Vitamin D from COVID-19 patients in the treatment group (n ≤ 30 ng/ml).
Conclusion: This study showed that patients with serum Vitamin D deficiency are more susceptible to the worsening of COVID-19 and it is generally associated with the release of cytokines as cellular markers mainly in the increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, inflammatory, vitamin D, COVID-19, cytokines