The new outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is causing an important pandemic affecting a large number of people all-over the world. Vitamin D is a hormone precursor produced by our own body with the help of sunlight which has an important role on adaptive immunity and cellular differentiation, maturation and proliferation of several immune cells. Reduced levels of vitamin D in calves were positioned as the main cause of bovine coronavirus infection in the past. Therefore, it seems plausible that the use of vitamin D as a nutritional ergogenic aid could be a potential intervention to fight against COVID-19 infected patients which remain asymptomatic or which have non-severe and severe symptoms. This study aims to investigate whether the use of vitamin D as an immune modulator agent induces significant improvements of health status and outcomes in non-severe symptomatic patients infected with COVID-19 as well as preventing COVID-19 health deterioration. We hypothesize that vitamin D will significantly improve hard endpoints related to COVID-19 deleterious consequences compared with a usual care control group.
Dietary Supplement: Vitamin D
The intervention group will receive a single dose of 25000 UI of vitamin D supplement in addition to prescription of NSAIDs, ACE2 inhibitor, ARB or thiazolidinediones, according to clinician criteria, based on the current recommendations. Vitamin D supplementation will be taken in the morning together with a toast with olive oil to facilitate its absorption.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Non-severe symptomatic patients who present cough, fever, nasal congestion,
gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, anosmia, ageusia or alternative signs of
respiratory infections.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients presenting severe respiratory and/or multisystemic symptoms compatible with
advanced COVID-19 and intercurrent acute or severe chronic diseases (i.e. active
cancer).
Universidad de Granada
Granada, Andalucia, Spain
Medicine Faculty
Granada, Spain
Manuel J Castillo, MD, PhD
+34 649440850
mcgarzon@ugr.es
Manuel J Castillo, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
Universidad de Granada