Author:
Zeidan Nancy M. S.,Lateef Hanan M. Abd El,Selim Dalia M.,Razek Suzan A.,Abd-Elrehim Ghada A. B.,Nashat Mohamed,ElGyar Noha,Waked Nevin M.,Soliman Attia A.,Elhewala Ahmed A.,Shehab Mohamed M. M.,Ibraheem Ahmed A. A.,Shehata Hassan,Yousif Yousif M.,Akeel Nagwa E.,Hashem Mustafa I. A.,Ahmed Amani A.,Emam Ahmed A.,Abdelmohsen Mohamed M.,Ahmed Mohamed F.,Saleh Ahmed S. E.,Eltrawy Heba H.,Shahin Gehan H.,Nabil Rehab M.,Hosny Thoraya A.,Abdelhamed Mohamed R.,Afify Mona R.,Alharbi Mohanned T.,Nagshabandi Mohammed K.,Tarabulsi Muyassar K.,Osman Sherif F.,Abd-Elrazek Amal S. M.,Rashad Manal M.,El-Gaaly Sonya A. A.,Gad Said A. B.,Mohamed Mohamed Y.,Abdelkhalek Khalil,Yousef Aly A.
Abstract
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.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health