The relationship between vitamin D deficiency and mortality in older adults before and during COVID-19 pandemic.
Mahmut Esad Durmuş, Özgür Kara, Murat Kara and 6 others
PMID 36182862WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults, severe vitamin D deficiency was linked to higher death risk, but this association appeared only during the pandemic period and not before.
The study cannot prove vitamin D deficiency causes death, as it was observational and did not track who died of COVID-19.
Key findings
01Severe vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher probability of death in the overall analysis after adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities.
02When split by time period, severe vitamin D deficiency was associated with death only during the pandemic period, with no significant link found in the pre-pandemic period.
03The study could not distinguish how many deaths were directly related to COVID-19 infection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective and observational, so it can only show an association, not that low vitamin D causes death. The researchers did not know who was taking vitamin D supplements at the start of the study, which could affect the results. The study did not differentiate which deaths were caused by COVID-19 versus other causes, making it unclear if the pandemic-period link is specific to viral outcomes. The statistical model for the pre-pandemic period was unstable, which may have affected how the time-period comparisons were interpreted. The study was conducted at a single center in Turkey, so the results may not apply to populations with different sun exposure or dietary habits.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that vitamin D supplementation reduces mortality in older adults. This was an observational study that found an association with death only during the pandemic period, and it did not test whether treating the deficiency changed survival outcomes.