Is COVID-19 lockdown associated with vitamin D deficiency?

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Vitamin D is crucial for bone health and immune function.
• The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns raised concerns about potential impacts on vitamin D levels due to reduced sun exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on serum vitamin D concentrations and deficiency prevalence in adult outpatients.
• To determine if vitamin D deficiency increased during the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of vitamin D tests for outpatients aged 18 years and older.
• Comparison of serum vitamin D levels and deficiency rates from the 2 years preceding the lockdown to the period following the lockdown.

Main Results:

• Serum vitamin D concentrations showed no significant difference between the pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods (78 vs. 77 nmol/l).
• The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was marginally lower in 2020 compared to previous years (16.0% vs. 17.9%).

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 lockdown and outbreak did not lead to an increase in vitamin D deficiency among adult outpatients in the studied Italian province.
• These findings suggest that public health measures did not negatively impact vitamin D status in this population.