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Is COVID-19 lockdown associated with vitamin D deficiency?

Giuseppe Lippi1,2, Anna Ferrari2, Giovanni Targher3

  • 1Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

European Journal of Public Health
|January 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D levels in Italian outpatients did not significantly change during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vitamin D deficiency prevalence also marginally decreased, suggesting no increase during lockdown periods.

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.

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