Association of vitamin D deficiency with COVID-19 infection severity: Systematic review and meta-analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#covid-19 #humans #intensive-care-units #sars-cov-2 #vitamin-d

Association of vitamin D deficiency with COVID-19 infection severity: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Wang et al., 2022 | Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) | Meta Analysis

Citation

Wang Zhen, Joshi Avni, ... Kumar Seema. Association of vitamin D deficiency with COVID-19 infection severity: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2022-Mar;96(3):281-287. doi:10.1111/cen.14540

Abstract

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the association between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. METHODS: Multiple databases from 1 January 2019 to 3 December 2020 were searched for observational studies evaluating the association between vitamin D deficiency and severity of COVID-19 infection. Independent reviewers selected studies and extracted data for the review. The main outcomes of interest were mortality, hospital admission, length of hospital stay and intensive care unit admission. RESULTS: Seventeen observational studies with 2756 patients were included in the analyses. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with significantly higher mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-4.05; 12 studies; hazard ratio [HR]: 4.11, 95% CI: 2.40-7.04; 3 studies), higher rates of hospital admissions (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.48-3.21; 3 studies) and longer hospital stays (0.52 days; 95% CI: 0.25-0.80; 2 studies) as compared to nonvitamin D deficient status. Subgroup analyses based on different cut-offs for defining vitamin D deficiency, study geographic locations and latitude also showed similar trends. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with greater severity of COVID-19 infection. Further studies are warranted to determine if vitamin D supplementation can decrease the severity of COVID-19.

Key Findings

Seventeen observational studies with 2756 patients were included in the analyses. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with significantly higher mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-4.05; 12 studies; hazard ratio [HR]: 4.11, 95% CI: 2.40-7.04; 3 studies), higher rates of hospital admissions (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.48-3.21; 3 studies) and longer hospital stays (0.52 days; 95% CI: 0.25-0.80; 2 studies) as compared to nonvitamin D deficient status. Subgroup analyses base

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 2756
Age Range See abstract
Condition deficiency

MeSH Terms

  • COVID-19
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin D Deficiency

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: vitamin-d

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09