scholarly journals Mean Vitamin D levels in 19 European Countries & COVID-19 Mortality over 10 months

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Ahmad ◽  
Christian Heumann ◽  
Raghib Ali ◽  
Tim Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
National Level ◽  
European Countries ◽  
P Value ◽  
Poor Responders ◽  
Food Fortification ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Initial Report ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTObjectivesReports early in the epidemic linking low mean national Vitamin D level with increased COVID-19 death, and until recently little research on the impact of Vitamin D deficiency on severity of COVID-19, led to this update of the initial report studying mortality up to the end of January 2021.Methods, Design and SettingCoronavirus pandemic data for 19 European countries were downloaded from Our World in Data, which was last updated on January 24, 2021. Data from March 21, 2020 to January 22, 2021 were included in the statistical analysis. Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean data were collected by literature review. Poisson mixed-effect model was used to model the data.ResultsEuropean countries with Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean less than or equal to 50 have higher COVID-19 death rates as compared with European countries with Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean greater than 50, relative risk of 2.155 (95% CI: 1.068 – 4.347, p-value = 0.032). A statistically significant negative moderate Spearman rank correlation was observed between Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean and the number of COVID-19 deaths for each 14-day period during the COVID-19 pandemic time period.ConclusionsThe observation of the significantly lower COVID-19 mortality rates in countries with lowest annual sun exposure but highest mean Vitamin-D (25)-HD levels provides support for more awareness and possible use of food fortification. The need to consider re-configuring vaccine strategy due to emergence of large number of COVID-19 variants and studies identifying poor responders to Vaccine provides an opportunity to undertake therapeutic randomized control trials to confirm these observations.Strengths of this studyLarge number of different European populations studied with different policies of food fortification and different population Vitamin D levelsTen months of longitudinal study during rise and fall and rise again of the epidemicLimitations of this studyBased on population Vitamin D levels published before the beginning of the pandemic. Though there hasn’t been a pan-European national/international health education initiative about Vitamin D and COVID-19 infection, it has been well covered in the media and could have resulted in changes, though probably minor, at the national level. Because there have been many differences in response to the pandemic in these countries, there could be other factors involved as well

scholarly journals Population Based Mean Vitamin-D Levels In 19 European Countries & COVID-19 Mortality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Ahmad ◽  
Christian Heumann ◽  
Raghib Ali ◽  
Tim Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Sun Exposure ◽  
European Countries ◽  
P Value ◽  
Vaccine Strategy ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Initial Report ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Reports early in the epidemic linking low mean national Vitamin D level with increased COVID-19 death, and until recently little research on the impact of Vitamin-D deficiency on severity of COVID-19, led to this update of the initial report studying mortality up to the end of January 2021. Methods: Coronavirus pandemic data for 19 European countries were downloaded from Our World in Data, which was last updated on January 24, 2021. Data from March 21, 2020 to January 22, 2021 were included in the statistical analysis. Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean data were collected by literature review. Poisson mixed-effect model was used to model the data. Results: European countries with Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean less than or equal to 50 have higher COVID-19 death rates as compared with European countries with Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean greater than 50, relative risk of 2.155 (95% CI: 1.068 - 4.347, p-value = 0.032). A statistically significant negative moderate Spearman rank correlation was observed between Vitamin-D (25)-HD mean and the number of COVID-19 deaths for each 14-day period during the COVID-19 pandemic time period. Conclusions: The observation of the significantly lower COVID-19 mortality rates in countries with lowest annual sun exposure but highest mean Vitamin-D (25)-HD levels provides support for the use of food fortification. The need to consider re-configuring vaccine strategy due to emergence of large number of COVID-19 variants provides an opportunity to undertake such therapeutic randomized control trials.

scholarly journals Potential of Vitamin D Food Fortification in Prevention of Cancer Deaths—A Modeling Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3986
Author(s):  
Tobias Niedermaier ◽  
Thomas Gredner ◽  
Sabine Kuznia ◽  
Ben Schöttker ◽  
Ute Mons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Cancer Mortality ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Food Fortification ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Total Cancer ◽  
25 Hydroxy Vitamin D ◽  
Prevention Of Cancer ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Impact

Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have estimated a 13% reduction of cancer mortality by vitamin D supplementation among older adults. We evaluated if and to what extent similar effects might be expected from vitamin D fortification of foods. We reviewed the literature on RCTs assessing the impact of vitamin D supplementation on cancer mortality, on increases of vitamin D levels by either supplementation or food fortification, and on costs of supplementation or fortification. Then, we derived expected effects on total cancer mortality and related costs and savings from potential implementation of vitamin D food fortification in Germany and compared the results to those for supplementation. In RCTs with vitamin D supplementation in average doses of 820–2000 IU per day, serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D increased by 15–30 nmol/L, respectively. Studies on food fortification found increases by 10–42 nmol/L, thus largely in the range of increases previously demonstrated by supplementation. Fortification is estimated to be considerably less expensive than supplementation. It might be similarly effective as supplementation in reducing cancer mortality and might even achieve such reduction at substantially larger net savings. Although vitamin D overdoses are unlikely in food fortification programs, implementation should be accompanied by a study monitoring the frequency of potentially occurring adverse effects by overdoses, such as hypercalcemia. Future studies on effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation and fortification are warranted.

Association of Vitamin D Levels and Other Risk Factors with Asthma Exacerbations in Children

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Serum Vitamin ◽  
Persistent Asthma ◽  
Food Allergies ◽  
P Value ◽  
Serum Vitamin D ◽  
Asthma Exacerbations ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Animal Dander

Background: The risk factors for asthma exacerbations are well understood. However, the effect of vitamin D levels on number of asthma exacerbations per year is not clearly studied. The objective of the study was to find out the association of serum vitamin D levels and asthma risk factors on asthma exacerbations. Methods: In this study, ninety-nine subjects from 5 to 15 years of age were recruited at an episode of acute exacerbation. It was a cross sectional study and carried out from 2012 to 2015. Pulmonary function test was done by spirometry. Asthma exacerbation was labeled when forced expiratory volume/ forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio was less than 80% (American Thoracic Society). Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines were used to classify asthma into mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by chemiluminescence method. Pearson Chi-square test was applied and p value (p<0.05) was considered as statistically significant. Results: Children who had exposure to animal dander had significantly lower asthma exacerbations per year (p-value <0.046). There was no significant association between vitamin D levels and number of exacerbations per years (p-value <0.099). Asthma was prevalent in girls of low socioeconomic status (SES) compared to males. However, there was no significant association between smoke, exercise, home environment, food allergies, weather, pollen and dust with asthma exacerbations. Conclusion: Low levels of vitamin D were not associated with increased number of asthma exacerbations per year. However, children exposed to animal dander had lesser number of exacerbations per year (p-value <0.046). Keywords: Asthma; Vitamin D; Children; Exacerbations, Risk factors.

scholarly journals High prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in multiple myeloma patients and the impact of vitamin D levels, a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Oortgiesen ◽  
J. A. Kroes ◽  
P. Scholtens ◽  
J. Hoogland ◽  
P. Dannenberg - de Keijzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Hypovitaminosis D ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Clinical Trial Registration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is common in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We hypothesized that the relationship between hypovitaminosis D and PN described in diabetes mellitus patients may also be present in MM patients. Methods To study this potential association, we assessed the incidence of hypovitaminosis D (vitamin D < 75 nmol/L [= 30 ng/mL]) in smouldering and active MM patients in two Dutch hospitals. Furthermore, a validated questionnaire was used to distinguish different PN grades. Results Of the 120 patients included between January 2017 and August 2018, 84% had an inadequate vitamin D level (median vitamin D level 49.5 nmol/L [IQR 34–65 nmol/L]; mean age: 68 years [SD ± 7.7]; males: 58%). PN was reported by 69% of patients (n = 83); however, of these 83 patients, PN was not documented in the medical records of 52%. An association was found between lower vitamin D levels and higher incidence of PN in the total population (P = 0.035), and in the active MM patients (P = 0.016). Conclusion This multi-centre cohort study showed that PN and hypovitaminosis D are common in MM patients, and addressing low vitamin D levels in the treatment of MM patients might be beneficial in reducing the risk of PN. More attention for PN is warranted, as PN is underreported by clinicians. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of vitamin D in the development of PN in patients with MM. Clinical trial registration Netherland Trial Register NL5835, date of registration July 28, 2016

Association between vitamin D deficiency and prostate cancer: Prospective case-control study

2021 ◽  
pp. 205141582199360
Author(s):  
Ghanshyam Kumawat ◽  
Vijay Chaudhary ◽  
Anurag Garg ◽  
Nishkarsh Mehta ◽  
Gagan Talwar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Serum Vitamin ◽  
P Value ◽  
Serum Vitamin D ◽  
Severe Vitamin ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Control Study

Objective: We aimed to find out the association of low serum vitamin D levels with the incidence of prostate cancer through a prospective case-control study. Material and methods: This study was carried out in the tertiary care hospital (India). All newly diagnosed patients of prostate cancer and age-matched controls were included. Serum vitamin D levels were measured in all of them. Vitamin D status (ng/mL) was classified as severe deficiency <10, moderate deficiency 10–<30, normal 30–100, and toxicity >100. Normality of the data was tested by the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, statistical analysis was done with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0, p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: In our study, 320 cases and 320 controls were included. The mean vitamin D levels in cases and controls were 15.71 ± 6.5 (ng/mL) and 17.63 ± 4.54 (ng/mL), respectively, ( p-Value <0.01). Patients with severe vitamin D deficiency (73.58%) had a Gleason score ⩾8 on biopsy and 79.24% of them had a serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level >20 ng/mL. Conclusion: We had concluded that there was no significant association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of prostate cancer, although patients with higher-grade prostate cancer and with higher PSA level had severe vitamin D deficiency. Level of evidence: Not applicable for this multicentre audit.

To screen or not to screen? Vitamin D deficiency in chronic mental illness

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-59
Author(s):  
Ivana Goluza ◽  
Jay Borchard ◽  
Nalin Wijesinghe ◽  
Kishan Wijesinghe ◽  
Nagesh Pai
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
P Value ◽  
Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
Psychiatric Setting ◽  
Retrospective Audit ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
The Mean

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to examine the pathology test utilisation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) within an Australian inpatient psychiatric setting. Method: A retrospective audit of 300 random hospital files of those admitted as inpatients between Nov 2014 and Nov 2015 was undertaken. Data was quantitatively analysed and described. Results: The number of inpatients who had a vitamin D determination during their admission was 37/300 (12.33%). The mean vitamin D level of those tested was 51.63 nmol/l. Of those that were tested, 18/37 (48.6%) were mildly to moderately deficient. There was a statistically significant difference in age and length of stay between those that were and were not tested for vitamin D levels, p-value <0.001 and 0.017, respectively. In addition, a simple linear regression indicated a weak association between length of stay and vitamin D levels. Conclusion: This audit highlights vitamin D screening inadequacy. More research is recommended to establish tangible benefits of supplementation, while local practice provides valuable data for education and policy purposes.

scholarly journals Correlation of psoriasis and serum vitamin D

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-323
Author(s):  
Ritika Gujrati ◽  
Krishnendra Varma ◽  
Ujjwal Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Psoriasis Vulgaris ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Serum Vitamin ◽  
Psoriatic Skin ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Serum Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Levels

Psoriasis is an immuno-mediated chronic systemic disease involving cytokines of helper Th1 pathway. Vitamin D has an effect on keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation and immune modulation of immune system especially Th1 pathway, which is altered in psoriatic skin suggesting that Vitamin D may have a role in pathogenesis of psoriasis. To study correlation between psoriasis vulgaris and serum vitamin D. To evaluate serum vitamin D level in psoriasis cases and in control group and correlating vitamin D level with severity and duration of the psoriasis. 57 cases (&#62;15years of age) with psoriasis and 57 healthy subjects were recruited. Psoriasis was clinically diagnosed and severity evaluated by PASI scale. Vitamin D was analysed by enhanced chemilumine scence on vitrus Eci autoanalyzer of Orth clinical diagnostic. Vitamin D deficiency defined as &#60;20ng/ml, insufficiency 20-30ng/ml and sufficient 30-100ng/ml. Vitamin D deficiency in the study was 22.8% in patients and 14% in control group. Vitamin D insufficiency was found in 42.1% of cases and 19.3% of control. According to chi-square the p-value is 0.003 showing significant association. There was a tendency towards decrease in vitamin D level with increase in disease duration. There was negative correlation between vitamin D and PASI score. The study found a significant relationship between vitamin D and psoriasis. Further metanalysis involving larger study population will be required to establish whether vitamin D levels benefits patient with psoriasis vulgaris.

scholarly journals A clinical study to determine the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and severity of asthma

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1397
Author(s):  
Pragalatha Kumar ◽  
Aruna Gowdra ◽  
Arathi Arathi ◽  
Ananya Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Serum Vitamin ◽  
Asthma Severity ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
P Value ◽  
Serum Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Children With Asthma ◽  
Age And Sex

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been rediscovered as a public health problem worldwide. Few studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with asthma severity. The objective of present work was to study the serum vitamin D levels and its relationship with asthma severity in children.Methods: A prospective cohort study of 100 children with asthma between the age group of 5 to 15 years and age and sex matched 40 healthy controls who had come to Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Bengaluru was done. These children’s serum vitamin D levels were estimated and correlated with asthma severity.Results: A total of 100 children with asthma and 40 healthy age and sex matched controls were evaluated. The study group had lower vitamin D (34.95 ng/ml) levels as compared to the control group (57.94 ng/ml) which was statistically significant (p<0.05). 68.4% children had significantly low vitamin D levels and severe form of asthma (p value <0.001). There was also a marked rise in absolute eosinophil count in those who had low vitamin D levels (56.6%) (p-value <0.0001).Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is an important risk factor for asthma severity. It modifies the immune system and reduces the inflammation. In the present study, low serum vitamin D levels were significantly correlated with severe form of asthma. There was a significant rise in the absolute eosinophil count in those who exhibited deficiency of vitamin D.  

scholarly journals Relation of serum 25(OH) D with variables of thyroid and lipid profile in perimenopausal women

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Poonam Rani ◽  
Seema Gupta ◽  
Gaurav Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Lipid Profile ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
The Body ◽  
P Value ◽  
Thyroid Disorder ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Perimenopausal Women

Background: Deficiency of vitamin D is quite prevalent among elderly population or postmenopausal women worldwide and may affect various function of the body. The status of its deficiency with their relation with other variables are not well explored in perimenopausal women.Methods: 100 perimenopausal women from the department of obstetrics and gynaecology were selected without having known risk of thyroid disorder and cardiovascular disease. The age group criteria for these women were 40 to 50 years. Thyroid profile including TSH, T3, and T4 were estimated by using enzyme linked immunesorbent assay. Serum levels of 25(OH) D3 was estimated by using spectrophotometric method. Lipid profile including TC, TG and HDL-C were estimated CHOD-POD method, GPO-PAP method, and CHOD-POD/Phosphotungustate method. LDL-C was calculated by friedewald formula.Results: There 58 women were presented with insufficient amount of vitamin D. They were characterised with increased BMI, elevated thyrotropin alongwith lower concentrations of T3 and T4. Increased levels of TC, TG and LDL-cholesterol alongwith lower concentration of HDL-C were also observed in women with vitamin d deficiency. Women having vitamin D deficiency were presented with overweight (OR-18.0, p-value=<0.001) and dyslipidemia (OR-12.13, p-value≤0.001). Vitamin D was negatively correlated with variable i.e. BMI, TSH, TC, TG and LDL-C. This negative association was significant (<0.001) while HDL-C and T4 were positively correlated with vitamin D levels in this study population.Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency frequently occurs in middle aged perimenopausal women. Negative correlation of it with BMI, TSH and lipid variables may suggest the development of cardiovascular disease and hypothyroidism in coming years. Vitamin D supplements or vitamin D containing diet and regular exposure to sun is highly recommended to perimenopausal women.

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