According to a new global scientific study, a strong connection between vitamin D deficiency and mortality in corona patients has been found.
Researchers led by Northwestern University ascertained a statistically significant correlation after studying data from hospitals and clinics in different countries including China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Ali Daneshkhah, a postdoctoral research associate in Backman’s laboratory, is the paper’s first author.
Severe vitamin D deficiency and mortality rates
Variation in COVID-19 mortality rates across countries has been intriguing to scientists and researchers. The differences were attributed to disparity in healthcare quality, age, immune system, ethnicity or different strains of the coronavirus.
The researchers found that patients from countries with high COVID-19 mortality rates, such as Italy, Spain and the UK, had lower levels of vitamin D compared to patients in countries that were not as severely affected. Henceforth, it has been established that severe deficiency of Vitamin D could be much more harmful and bears a strong effect as a causality factor, among others, in fatality of patients.
Vitamins are crucial for body to function normally. Vitamin D enhance our innate immune systems and it also keeps check on our immune systems from becoming too overactive to cause harm within body. Having healthy levels of vitamin D could protect patients against severe complications, including death, from COVID-19.
This correlation might help explain the many mysteries surrounding COVID-19, such as why children are less likely to die.
“While I think it is important for people to know that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in mortality, we don’t need to push vitamin D on everybody,” said Northwestern’s Vadim Backman, who led the research. “This needs further study, and I hope our work will stimulate interest in this area.”
Researchers led by Northwestern University ascertained a statistically significant correlation after studying data from hospitals and clinics in different countries including China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Ali Daneshkhah, a postdoctoral research associate in Backman’s laboratory, is the paper’s first author.
Severe vitamin D deficiency and mortality rates
Variation in COVID-19 mortality rates across countries has been intriguing to scientists and researchers. The differences were attributed to disparity in healthcare quality, age, immune system, ethnicity or different strains of the coronavirus.
The researchers found that patients from countries with high COVID-19 mortality rates, such as Italy, Spain and the UK, had lower levels of vitamin D compared to patients in countries that were not as severely affected. Henceforth, it has been established that severe deficiency of Vitamin D could be much more harmful and bears a strong effect as a causality factor, among others, in fatality of patients.
Vitamins are crucial for body to function normally. Vitamin D enhance our innate immune systems and it also keeps check on our immune systems from becoming too overactive to cause harm within body. Having healthy levels of vitamin D could protect patients against severe complications, including death, from COVID-19.
This correlation might help explain the many mysteries surrounding COVID-19, such as why children are less likely to die.
“While I think it is important for people to know that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in mortality, we don’t need to push vitamin D on everybody,” said Northwestern’s Vadim Backman, who led the research. “This needs further study, and I hope our work will stimulate interest in this area.”