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OHIOHEALTH

What You Need to Know About COVID-19 and Vitamin D

Whether on the news or in casual conversation, you may have heard of a connection between COVID-19 and Vitamin D.

First and foremost, there is not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D to prevent or treat COVID-19. If you suspect you are low in vitamin D, reach out to your healthcare provider to discuss if a supplement is right for you. It is not recommended to take vitamin D without physician approval, as taking too much vitamin D can be very dangerous and lead to toxicity.

We know there’s a lot of information out there regarding the connection between COVID-19 and vitamin D that can be hard to understand. To provide some clarity, we talked with Joseph Gastaldo, MD, OhioHealth’s system director of Infection Diseases.

Do not take vitamin D without physician approval, as taking too much vitamin D can be very dangerous and lead to toxicity. Want to hear Dr. Gastaldo discuss Vitamin D and COVID-19? Check out what he said in a recent interview.
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COVID-19 and vitamin D: what’s the connection?

In a study done at the University of Chicago Medicine, researchers discovered a connection between lower vitamin D levels and hospitalized, critically-ill COVID-19 patients.

This study comprised of 489 participants that had their vitamin D levels measured a year prior to being tested for COVID-19. The results showed that those with a vitamin D deficiency were 1.77 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than those without a vitamin D deficiency. While these results seem to support the idea that a vitamin D deficiency can lead to a higher risk of COVID-19, randomized clinical trials are needed for further analysis. These clinical trials could help determine if sufficient vitamin D levels can reduce one’s chance at getting COVID-19 and/or having complications.

I’d like to know more about vitamin D!

Ashley Chambers, MD, an OhioHealth Primary Care Physician at OhioHealth, has shared with us a guide to vitamin D. While this article was produced pre-COVID, it’s still a great resource to learn about vitamin D and how it pertains to you.

If you think you may have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19, call your primary care doctor or the Ohio Department of Health call center. The call center is now open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. to answer your COVID-19 questions, and can be reached at 1 (833) 4-ASK-ODH (1 (833) 427-5634).

The information in this article was updated February 22, 2020. For the latest information about COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)’s website.

 

Go to COVID-19 Toolkit page on OhioHealth blog

 

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