Vitamin D and COVID-19 infection and mortality in UK Biobank
- PDF / 395,329 Bytes
- 4 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 28 Downloads / 136 Views
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Vitamin D and COVID‑19 infection and mortality in UK Biobank Claire E. Hastie1 · Jill P. Pell1 · Naveed Sattar2 Received: 29 June 2020 / Accepted: 19 August 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Purpose Low blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration has been proposed as a potential causal factor in COVID-19 risk. We aimed to establish whether baseline serum 25(OH)D concentration was associated with COVID-19 mortality, and inpatient confirmed COVID-19 infection, in UK Biobank participants. Methods UK Biobank recruited 502,624 participants aged 37–73 years between 2006 and 2010. Baseline exposure data, including serum 25(OH)D concentration, were linked to COVID-19 mortality. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed for the association between 25(OH)D and COVID-19 death, and Poisson regression analyses for the association between 25(OH)D and severe COVID-19 infection. Results Complete data were available for 341,484 UK Biobank participants, of which 656 had inpatient confirmed COVID-19 infection and 203 died of COVID-19 infection. 25(OH)D concentration was associated with severe COVID-19 infection and mortality univariably (mortality per 10 nmol/L 25(OH)D HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.86–0.98; p = 0.016), but not after adjustment for confounders (mortality per 10 nmol/L 25(OH)D HR 0.98; 95% CI = 0.91–1.06; p = 0.696). Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency was also not independently associated with either COVID-19 infection or linked mortality. Conclusions Our findings do not support a potential link between 25(OH)D concentrations and risk of severe COVID-19 infection and mortality. Randomised trials are needed to prove a beneficial role for vitamin D in the prevention of severe COVID-19 reactions or death. Keywords COVID-19 · Vitamin D · Mortality In the hunt for modifiable COVID-19 risk factors, vitamin D has gained a lot of attention both in the media and within the scientific community [1]. Proponents of such a link cite a few early studies that present circumstantial evidence. They are either ecological, at an individual level but unable to fully adjust for potential confounders, or they measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration once patients were already hospitalised with COVID-19 which introduces reverse causation, as vitamin D is a negative acute phase reactant [2].
Jill P. Pell and Naveed Sattar are joint senior authors. * Claire E. Hastie [email protected] 1
Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, 1 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK
Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
2
Despite the sparse evidence on vitamin D in COVID-19 [3], the UK government led an urgent review into whether there is any link. It concluded that “There is no evidence to support taking vitamin D supplements to specifically prevent or treat COVID-19” [4]. By contrast, the Welsh COVID-19 risk assessment tool includes vitamin D supplementation as part of its recommendati
Data Loading...
