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. 2020 Jun 14;3(1):118-120.
doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000110. eCollection 2020.

COVID-19 mortality increases with northerly latitude after adjustment for age suggesting a link with ultraviolet and vitamin D

Jonathan Rhodes  1 , Frank Dunstan  2 , Eamon Laird  3 , Sreedhar Subramanian  1 , Rose A Kenny  4
Affiliations

COVID-19 mortality increases with northerly latitude after adjustment for age suggesting a link with ultraviolet and vitamin D

Jonathan Rhodes et al. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. .
No abstract available

Keywords: infectious disease; nutrient deficiencies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: JR with the University of Liverpool and Provexis UK holds a patent for use of a soluble fibre preparation as maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease plus a patent for its use in antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Patent also held with the University of Liverpool and others in relation to use of modified heparins in cancer therapy. SS has received speaker fees from MSD, Actavis, Abbvie, Dr Falk Pharmaceuticals and Shire and received educational grants from MSD, Abbvie and Actavis and is an advisory board member for Abbvie, Dr Falk Pharmaceuticals and Vifor pharmaceuticals. FD, EL and RAK have no conflicts to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. COVID-19 mortality per 1 million population by country compared with latitude of capital cities. Fitted values are derived from a piecewise linear model of the logarithm of mortality on latitude. This was based on a threshold of 28° north that explained the greatest amount of variation. B. Logarithm of COVID-19 mortality per 1 million compared with latitude with and without adjustment for age (%≥65 years).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kohlmeier M. Avoidance of vitamin D deficiency to slow the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJNPH 2020;3:e000096 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000096 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rhodes JM, Subramanian S, Laird E, et al. Editorial: low population mortality from COVID-19 in countries South of latitude 35 degrees North supports vitamin D as a factor determining severity. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2020;51:1434–7. 10.1111/apt.15777 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
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    1. List of countries and dependencies by population density, 2020. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofcountriesanddependenciesbypopulation... [Accessed 18 May 2020].

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