Vitamin D Levels in COVID-19 Outpatients from Western Mexico: Clinical Correlation and Effect of Its Supplementation

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 10; no. 11; p. 2378
• Main Authors: Sánchez-Zuno, Gabriela Athziri, González-Estevez, Guillermo, Matuz-Flores, Mónica Guadalupe, Macedo-Ojeda, Gabriela, Hernández-Bello, Jorge, Mora-Mora, Jesús Carlos, Pérez-Guerrero, Edsaúl Emilio, García-Chagollán, Mariel, Vega-Magaña, Natali, Turrubiates-Hernández, Francisco Javier, Machado-Sulbaran, Andrea Carolina, Muñoz-Valle, José Francisco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.05.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Asthma; Asymptomatic; Biomarkers; cholecalciferol; Clinical medicine; coronavirus; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytokines; Diabetes; Disease; ergocalciferol; Fatalities; Hypertension; Infections; Laboratories; Patients; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vitamin D; Vitamin deficiency; Mexico; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; ergocalciferol; vitamin D; supplementation; cholecalciferol; coronavirus; biochemical parameters; Latin America
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112378

The immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D are known to be beneficial in viral infections; it is also known that its deficiency is associated with a prognosis more critical of Coronavirus Disease 2019. This study aimed to determine baseline vitamin D serum concentrations and the effects of its supplementation in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 outpatients. 42 outpatients were included, 22 of which received a supplement of 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 for 14 days; the remaining 20 outpatients were designated as a control group. Serum levels of transferrin, ferritin, vitamin D, and D-dimer were measured at baseline in both groups. After 14 days, serum levels of total vitamin D were determined in the supplemented group. At baseline, only 19% of infected outpatients had vitamin D levels corresponding to sufficiency. All outpatients with vitamin D insufficiency had at least one symptom associated with the disease, while only 75% of patients with symptoms presented sufficiency. On the seventh and fourteenth day of follow-up, the supplemented group presented fewer symptoms with respect to those non-supplemented. A vitamin D3 dose of 10,000 IU/daily for 14 days was sufficient to raise vitamin D serum concentrations. Immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D appear to be linked to the development of symptoms in positive outpatients. Vitamin D supplementation could have significant benefits in the Western Mexican population.