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A recent study conducted by Boston University found that sufficient levels of vitamin D can prevent the condition of COVID-19 patients from further deteriorating and also reduce the need for
oxygen. Only 9.7 per cent of people older than 40 years and deficient in Vitamin D succumbed to the infection as compared to 20 per cent people who had circulating levels of Vitamin D. 25
(OH) D or 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the measure of vitamin D in the body. CPR or the C reactive protein is used to check inflammation levels caused by an infection. The higher the inflammation,
the greater is the infection. Sufficient levels of vitamin D can also help modulate the immune response possibly by reducing the risk for cytokine (release of too many proteins into the
blood too quickly) storm in response to this viral infection. For the study, vitamin D levels of 235 hospitalised COVID patients were measured. The patients were regularly monitored to check
the severity of infection, if they had any breathing issues or other problems. The C reactive protein and lymphocyte levels were also measured. Vitamin D has an important role to play in
the body's immune response Vitamin D is said to have a major role in the immune response of the body and it plays a preventive role in COVID-19. “Vitamin D interacting with its receptor
(VDR) in immune cells, modulates the innate and acquired immune systems in response to invasion of bacterial and viral pathogens. It also acts as a modulator of the renin-angiotensin
pathway and down-regulates ACE-2. Therefore, vitamin D might help in treatment of COVID-19 by preventing the cytokine storm and subsequent ARDS which is commonly the cause of mortality,” the
researchers noted. The ACE2 mediates the infection caused by SARS-CoV2 virus. It's down regulation can reduce the severity of the COVID-19 infection. The severity of the disease and
mortality was reduced in patients who had adequate levels of vitamin D. These people also had a lower risk of becoming hypoxic and unconscious. “Patients who were Vitamin D sufficient had
significantly lower blood levels of the inflammatory marker CRP and had a higher total blood lymphocyte count suggesting that Vitamin D sufficiency had improved the immune function in these
patients and raising the inflammatory markers. This beneficial effect on the immune system may also reduce the risk of acquiring this insidious potentially life-threatening viral infection,”
the researchers concluded.