Vitamin D supplementation for the treatment of COVID-19: a live systematic review
Currently, there is insufficient evidence to determine the benefits and harms of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment for COVID-19 Evidence of the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation for the treatment of COVID-19 is very uncertain. In addition, only limited safety information was found, raising concerns about the consistency of measurement and recording of these results.
There was substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity in the included studies, primarily due to different supplementation strategies, formulations, vitamin D status of participants, and reported outcomes.
There is an urgent need for well-designed and properly functioning randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with appropriate randomization procedures, comparability of study arms, and preferably double-blind methods. 21 ongoing studies and 3 completed studies were identified, but results have not been published. This indicates that these needs are being addressed and that the findings are subject to change in the future. Due to the living approach of this work, the review will be updated periodically.
Stroehlein JK, Wallqvist J, Iannizzi C, Mikolajewska A, Metzendorf MI, Benstoem C, Meybohm P, Becker M, Skoetz N, Stegemann M, Piechotta V. Systematic review of the Cochrane Database 2021, No. 5. Art. No.: CD015043. doi: 10.1002 /14651858.CD015043. Accessed May 25, 2021.
Description.
As a treatment for COVID-19, the role of vitamin D supplementation has been the subject of considerable debate, using a live systematic review approach of efficacy and safety based on randomized controlled trials.
Studies were conducted according to standard Cochrane Collaboration methodology and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating vitamin D supplementation for people with COVID-19, regardless of disease severity, age, gender, or ethnicity.
As a result, we identified three RCTs with 356 participants, 183 of whom received vitamin D. Two studies examined participants with moderate to severe disease, and one study examined individuals with mild to asymptomatic disease. The control group will receive placebo treatment or standard care only.
Two studies with 313 participants reported data on participants with vitamin D deficiency in one study, while in the other study vitamin D status was unknown.
Also, one study reported no deaths among 50 participants treated with vitamin D, compared to 2 deaths among 26 participants in the control group. Another study reported that 9 of 119 participants in the vitamin D group died, compared to 6 of 118 in the placebo group.
Also, 9 out of 119 participants required invasive ventilation when treated with vitamin D, compared to 17 out of 118 participants in the placebo group. This may reduce the need for invasive ventilation, but the evidence is uncertain.
In another study, vomiting was reported in one of 119 participants immediately after vitamin D intake. However, it becomes very uncertain whether vitamin D supplementation is associated with a higher risk of adverse events.
