2Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversity, Intensive Care Unit, Ankara, Turkey DOI : 10.31086/tjgeri.2021.254 Introduction: This study aimed to examine the relationship between vitamin D levels and the disease course, laboratory results, and clinical outcomes in patients aged > 65 years with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods: The laboratory and clinical results of patients aged > 65 years who were admitted to a tertiary intensive care unit due to COVID-19 between April 2020 and May 2021 were retrospectively examined.
Results: A total of 299 patients aged >65 years (median: 76 years [interquartile range: 70?83]) diagnosed with COVID-19 were admitted in the ICU. The regression analysis performed between vitamin D level ?30 ng/mL and <30 ng/mL and the inflammatory markers revealed the significant correlation of vitamin D <30 ng/mL with a low lymphocyte count and fibrinogen level. When the relationship between mortality, inflammatory markers, and clinical parameters was examined, lymphocyte count, D-dimer level, fibrinogen level, chest tomography stage 3, and vitamin D deficiency were also effective factors for predicting mortality. In COVID-19 patients, the vitamin D cut-off value for mortality was found to be 18.5 ng/mL.
Conclusion: We observed a high rate of patients with low vitamin D levels in patients aged > 65 years who were admitted to the intensive care unit due to COVID-19. The rates of inflammation and mortality were higher in patients with vitamin D deficiency.
Keywords : Vitamin D; COVID-19; Aged; Mortality; Intensive Care Unit; Inflammation