Population awareness regarding D vitamin and its role in immunomodulation in the COVID 19 Pandemia

doi:10.15406/ijfcm.2021.05.00234

International Journal of

eISSN: 2577-8269

Family & Community Medicine

Research Article Volume 5 Issue 4

Population awareness regarding D vitamin and its role in immunomodulation in the COVID 19 Pandemia

Bernardo M Machado de Almeida,¹ Carolina Queiroz Cardoso,¹ Anita L R Saldanha,¹ Marileia Scartezini,¹ Caio Corsi Klosovski,¹ Ana Paula Pantoja Margeotto,¹ André L V Gasparoto,² Abel Pereira,¹ Tereza Luiza Bellincanta,¹ Tania Leme da Rocha Martinez¹

Verify Captcha

Regret for the inconvenience: we are taking measures to prevent fraudulent form submissions by extractors and page crawlers. Please type the correct Captcha word to see email ID.

¹Nephrology Department, BP - A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
²Intensive Care Unit, BP – A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Correspondence: Tania Leme da Rocha Martinez, BP - A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, Rua Comandante Ismael Guilherme, 358 - Jardim Lusitânia, CEP 04031-120 - São Paulo –SP, Brazil, Tel 55 11 98323-9863, Fax 55 11 3842-3789

Received: July 28, 2021 | Published: September 15, 2021

Citation: Almeida BMM, Cardoso CQ, Saldanha ALR, et al. Population awareness regarding D vitamin and its role in immunomodulation in the COVID 19 Pandemia. Int J Fam Commun Med. 2021;5(4):135-137. DOI: 10.15406/ijfcm.2021.05.00234

Download PDF

Abstract

International and national official surveys and publications have documented dietary deficiencies that may have deleterious repercussions to immunomodulation. Brazilian population that sought spontaneously for D Vitamin pre and since the Covid 19 pandemia was specially studied using databases collected throughout Brazil. The number of people that sought for their D vitamin levels were three times bigger during the pandemia. The mean D vitamin levels were significantly lower in the pandemic period as compared to the pre pandemic. Of the total of 1,421 tests performed in the observed period, 25.2% were performed in 2019 (prepandemic) and 74.8% were performed in 2020 or 2021 (pandemic). Most of the individuals tested were women over 20 years of age. The proportion of individuals over 60 years was higher in 2020-2021, compared to 2019 (12% vs. 39.5%). There was no significant difference in D vitamin mean between cohorts by gender, age or region. These results point to the awareness of having to live a healthy nutritional lifestyle and even follow guidance for supplementation.

Keywords: D vitamin, immunomodulation, Covid 19, nutritional deficiency, population awareness

Introduction

In the current course of the pandemic by COVID 19, food imbalance may have consequences in immunomodulation, one of which is in particular D vitamin.^1-6 International and national official surveys and publications have documented dietary deficiencies that may have deletees' repercussions to immunomodulation.

Objective

To evaluate the degree of recognition of Brazilians who spontaneously sought their D vitamin dosages before and since the COVID 19 pandemic, analyzing the motivations for the data found.

Method

Working with databases collected throughout Brazil from individuals who spontaneously sought D vitamin dosages. Periods analyzed: pre-pandemic 2019 and post-pandemic 2020, 2021 (first trimester). In 2019 the number of dosages was 371, in 2020=923 and until March 2021=218. The classifications in the database referred to: gender, age group and regions of Brazil. In 2019 there was a search in 70 health center and in the following period in 344. In 2019 the number of tests was 358, in the pandemic there were 1063. In all cases, the same Hilab remote laboratory test technique, immunochromatographic assay based on the sandwich binding principle, was used.

Statistical analysis was performed by the multivariate ANOVA method.

Results

Of the total of 1,421 tests performed in the observed period, 25.2% were performed in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 74.8% were performed in 2020 or 2021 (pandemic). Most of the individuals tested were women over 20 years of age. The proportion of individuals over 60 years was higher in 2020-2021, compared to 2019 (12% vs. 39.5%) three times bigger during the pandemia. The mean D vitamin levels were significantly lower in the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019: 20.44 ng/mL; 2020-2021: 17.8 ng/mL; F1=32.18, p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in D vitamin mean between cohorts by gender, age or region.

	Total n = 1.421 %	2019 n = 358 (25,2 %)%	2020-20211.063 (74,8 %)%
Gender
Female	59,0	52,51	61,1
Male	39,0	46,65	36,4
Unknown	2,0	0,84	2,4
Age Group
0 - 19	1,9	0,28	2,4
20 - 39	33,9	56,15	26,3
40 - 59	29,7	30,73	29,4
60+	32,6	12	39,5
Unknown	2,0	0,84	2,4
Brazilian Region
Midwest	4,2	2,23	4,9
Northeast	32,8	5,59	42
North	4,1	0	5,5
Southeast	35,7	60,89	27,3
South	23,2	31,28	20,4

Table 1 Distribution of patients' characteristics

Figure 1 Means (ng/mL) of D vitamin values by geographic region of Brazil (except North region) and cohort.

Figure 2 Means (ng/mL) of D vitamin values by age group (> 20 years) and cohort.

Discussion

The results demonstrate a search for knowledge of very increased D vitamin levels in the post-pandemic, interpreted as intense dissemination of its immunoprotective role. At the same time there is the finding of lower mean value post-pandemic, which, although seeming paradoxical, points to the recognition of the need for adequate eating habits and healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion

The dissemination of massive alertness regarding the participation of D vitamin in immunoprotection caused a greater number of people to want to become aware of their levels and pay attention to their normalization, following balanced nutritional and lifestyle behaviors, including guidance from a health professional regarding their supplementation whenever necessary.