Published date: Mar 29 2024

Journal Title: Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences

Issue title: Sudan JMS: Volume 19 (2024), Issue No. 1

Pages: 72–83

DOI: 10.18502/sjms.v19i1.15776

Shamina Begumsbegum@ut.edu.saDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Hyder Osman MirghaniDepartment of Internal Medicine and Endocrine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Background: COVID-19 is still ongoing with frequently discovered new strains, although vaccines are highly effective for prevention. Literature on vitamin D supplementation in COVID-19 prevention and its effect on survival is scarce. This meta-analysis assessed the role of vitamin D supplementation in COVID-19 prevention and survival.

Methods: Four databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, MEDLINE, and the first 100 articles of Google Scholar) were searched for articles published up to September 2023. The keywords used were COVID-19, mortality, vitamin D supplementation, calcitriol, cholecalciferol, Calcifediol, survival, death, and prevention. Six hundred and seven studies were retrieved, and four hundred and three remained after duplication removal; of them eighty-three full texts were screened, and of them, only sixteen (prospective, randomized controlled trials, and retrospective studies) were included in the final meta-analysis.

Results: Sixteen observational studies including 5905,109 patients and 186,500 events were included. Vitamin D supplementation reduced mortality among patients with COVID-19 patients, odd ratio, 2.31, 95% CI, 1.49–3.58; in addition, supplementation was effective in COVID-19 prevention, odd ratio, 1.92, 95% CI, 1.01–3.64.

Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation prevented COVID-19 and increased survival among patients admitted with moderate/severe COVID-19.

Keywords: vitamin D supplementation, COVID-19 prevention, mortality

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