Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic goes along with increased mortality from acute respiratory disease. It has been suggested that vitamin D<sub>3</sub> supplementation might help to reduce respiratory disease mortality. We assessed the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency, defined by...

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Main Authors: Hermann Brenner, Bernd Holleczek, Ben Schöttker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:Nutrients
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2488
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spelling doaj-8aed608ed6c74d1c92dc71d696a86e132020-11-25T03:17:38ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-08-01122488248810.3390/nu12082488Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?Hermann Brenner0Bernd Holleczek1Ben Schöttker2Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, Germany Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69118 Heidelberg, GermanyDivision of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, Germany Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69118 Heidelberg, GermanyDivision of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, Germany Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69118 Heidelberg, GermanyThe COVID-19 pandemic goes along with increased mortality from acute respiratory disease. It has been suggested that vitamin D<sub>3</sub> supplementation might help to reduce respiratory disease mortality. We assessed the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency, defined by 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) blood levels of 30–50 and <30 nmol/L, respectively, and their association with mortality from respiratory diseases during 15 years of follow-up in a cohort of 9548 adults aged 50–75 years from Saarland, Germany. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were common (44% and 15%, respectively). Compared to those with sufficient vitamin D status, participants with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency had strongly increased respiratory mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.1 (1.3–3.2) and 3.0 (1.8–5.2) overall, 4.3 (1.3–14.4) and 8.5 (2.4–30.1) among women, and 1.9 (1.1–3.2) and 2.3 (1.1–4.4) among men. Overall, 41% (95% confidence interval: 20–58%) of respiratory disease mortality was statistically attributable to vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are common and account for a large proportion of respiratory disease mortality in older adults, supporting the hypothesis that vitamin D<sub>3</sub> supplementation could be helpful to limit the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among women.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2488vitamin Dmortalityrespiratory diseaseCOVID-19
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Hermann Brenner
Bernd Holleczek
Ben Schöttker
spellingShingle Hermann Brenner
Bernd Holleczek
Ben Schöttker
Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Nutrients
vitamin D
mortality
respiratory disease
COVID-19
author_facet Hermann Brenner
Bernd Holleczek
Ben Schöttker
author_sort Hermann Brenner
title Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
title_short Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
title_full Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
title_fullStr Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
title_full_unstemmed Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic?
title_sort vitamin d insufficiency and deficiency and mortality from respiratory diseases in a cohort of older adults: potential for limiting the death toll during and beyond the covid-19 pandemic?
publisher MDPI AG
series Nutrients
issn 2072-6643
publishDate 2020-08-01
description The COVID-19 pandemic goes along with increased mortality from acute respiratory disease. It has been suggested that vitamin D<sub>3</sub> supplementation might help to reduce respiratory disease mortality. We assessed the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency, defined by 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) blood levels of 30–50 and <30 nmol/L, respectively, and their association with mortality from respiratory diseases during 15 years of follow-up in a cohort of 9548 adults aged 50–75 years from Saarland, Germany. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were common (44% and 15%, respectively). Compared to those with sufficient vitamin D status, participants with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency had strongly increased respiratory mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.1 (1.3–3.2) and 3.0 (1.8–5.2) overall, 4.3 (1.3–14.4) and 8.5 (2.4–30.1) among women, and 1.9 (1.1–3.2) and 2.3 (1.1–4.4) among men. Overall, 41% (95% confidence interval: 20–58%) of respiratory disease mortality was statistically attributable to vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are common and account for a large proportion of respiratory disease mortality in older adults, supporting the hypothesis that vitamin D<sub>3</sub> supplementation could be helpful to limit the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among women.
topic vitamin D
mortality
respiratory disease
COVID-19
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2488
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