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. 2022 Aug 10;14(16):3275.
doi: 10.3390/nu14163275.

Pregnancy and COVID-19: The Possible Contribution of Vitamin D

Alessandra Manca  1 , Stefano Cosma  2 , Alice Palermiti  1 , Martina Costanzo  1 , Miriam Antonucci  3 , Elisa Delia De Vivo  1 , Alice Ianniello  1 , Fulvio Borella  2 , Andrea Roberto Carosso  2 , Silvia Corcione  4 , Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa  4 , Chiara Benedetto  2 , Antonio D'Avolio  1 , Jessica Cusato  1
Affiliations

Pregnancy and COVID-19: The Possible Contribution of Vitamin D

Alessandra Manca et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with the severity of COVID-19. The role of vitamin D in pregnant women with COVID-19 has been poorly investigated to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of vitamin D in affecting some clinical features in pregnancy between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients.

Methods: Vitamin D pathway related polymorphisms and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were quantified in pregnant women followed from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency was considered with values ≤ 30 ng/mL.

Results: In total, 160 women were enrolled: 23 resulted positive for at least one SARS-CoV-2 related test (molecular swab or antibody tests). Vitamin D-associated polymorphisms were able to affect vitamin D levels in SARS-CoV-2 negative and positive subjects: remarkably, all the VDR TaqICC genotype patients were negative for SARS-CoV-2. In a sub-population (118 patients), vitamin D levels correlated with pregnancy-related factors, such as alpha-fetoprotein levels. Third-trimester vitamin D levels were lower in preterm births compared to full-term pregnancy: this trend was highlighted for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients.

Conclusions: This is the first study demonstrating a role of vitamin D in affecting the clinical characteristics of pregnant women during the COVID-19 era. Further studies in larger and different cohorts of patients are required to confirm these findings.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; VDR; biomarkers; genetic polymorphisms; newborn; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graph showing that none of the patients with the CC genotype for the VDR TaqI polymorphism (CC) ever tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Vitamin D levels and alpha-fetoprotein correlation (p = 0.02, SC = −0.24).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Third-trimester vitamin D levels were lower in preterm births compared to full-term pregnancy (p < 0.001) (A): in particular, a p-value of 0.01 was suggested for positive subjects (B), whereas p = 0.07 for negative women (C). Circles indicate "out" values.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Third-trimester vitamin D levels were lower in preterm births compared to full-term pregnancy (p < 0.001) (A): in particular, a p-value of 0.01 was suggested for positive subjects (B), whereas p = 0.07 for negative women (C). Circles indicate "out" values.
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