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. 2023 Apr;93(5):1383-1390.
doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02275-6. Epub 2022 Sep 9.

Vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor FokI polymorphism as risk factors for COVID-19

Nancy M S Zeidan  1 , Hanan M Abd El Lateef  2 , Dalia M Selim  2 , Suzan A Razek  2 , Ghada A B Abd-Elrehim  3 , Mohamed Nashat  4 , Noha ElGyar  5 , Nevin M Waked  6 , Attia A Soliman  7 , Ahmed A Elhewala  7 , Mohamed M M Shehab  7 , Ahmed A A Ibraheem  7 , Hassan Shehata  7 , Yousif M Yousif  7 , Nagwa E Akeel  7 , Mustafa I A Hashem  7 , Amani A Ahmed  7 , Ahmed A Emam  8 , Mohamed M Abdelmohsen  9 , Mohamed F Ahmed  9 , Ahmed S E Saleh  10 , Heba H Eltrawy  11 , Gehan H Shahin  12 , Rehab M Nabil  13 , Thoraya A Hosny  13 , Mohamed R Abdelhamed  14 , Mona R Afify  15 , Mohanned T Alharbi  15 , Mohammed K Nagshabandi  15 , Muyassar K Tarabulsi  15 , Sherif F Osman  16 , Amal S M Abd-Elrazek  17 , Manal M Rashad  18 , Sonya A A El-Gaaly  19 , Said A B Gad  20 , Mohamed Y Mohamed  21 , Khalil Abdelkhalek  1 , Aly A Yousef  22
Affiliations

Vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor FokI polymorphism as risk factors for COVID-19

Nancy M S Zeidan et al. Pediatr Res. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Given the sparse data on vitamin D status in pediatric COVID-19, we investigated whether vitamin D deficiency could be a risk factor for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. We also investigated whether vitamin D receptor (VDR) FokI polymorphism could be a genetic marker for COVID-19 susceptibility.

Methods: One hundred and eighty patients diagnosed to have COVID-19 and 200 matched control children and adolescents were recruited. Patients were laboratory confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 positive by real-time RT-PCR. All participants were genotyped for VDR Fok1 polymorphism by RT-PCR. Vitamin D status was defined as sufficient for serum 25(OH) D at least 30 ng/mL, insufficient at 21-29 ng/mL, deficient at <20 ng/mL.

Results: Ninety-four patients (52%) had low vitamin D levels with 74 (41%) being deficient and 20 (11%) had vitamin D insufficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with 2.6-fold increased risk for COVID-19 (OR = 2.6; [95% CI 1.96-4.9]; P = 0.002. The FokI FF genotype was significantly more represented in patients compared to control group (OR = 4.05; [95% CI: 1.95-8.55]; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency and VDR Fok I polymorphism may constitute independent risk factors for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents.

Impact: Vitamin D deficiency could be a modifiable risk factor for COVID-19 in children and adolescents because of its immune-modulatory action. To our knowledge, ours is the first such study to investigate the VDR Fok I polymorphism in Caucasian children and adolescents with COVID-19. Vitamin D deficiency and the VDR Fok I polymorphism may constitute independent risk factors for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. Clinical trials should be urgently conducted to test for causality and to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 taking into account the VDR polymorphisms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Vitamin D status among the studied subjects (P < 0.001).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean serum 25(OH) D among the studied patients’ VDR Fok I genotypes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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