There has been experimental and observational studies on COVID & Vitamin D since the Spring. I’ve written about this many times.
READ DOWN & SEE WHAT ELSE WHAT ADDED TO THE THERAPY!
These studies were criticized because they were observational (can’t prove causality) & the experimental studies were small.
There were a few methodological issues with this paper as well. It was an open randomized trial rather than a placebo-controlled randomized trial. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the results are invalid. It means we need a peer reviewed, placebo-controlled study done immediately. The results are still interesting to note.
A new preprint from the University of Barcelona – Dept of Internal Medicine:
- 930 participants
- 551 received calcifediol (a potent form of vitamin D)at admission
- 379 did not receive
- 50 patients in the control group who later required ICU admission received calcifediol at the time of ICU admission
- All hospitalized patients received standard therapy consisting of HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine), azithromycin and ceftriaxone when there was infection.
- Patients with severe pulmonary inflammation or cytokine storm were also treated with dexamethasone.
- Vitamin D was added to this standard therapy—it wasn’t the only treatment they received.
OUTCOMES:
- Calcifediol treatment reduced the risk of ICU admission by 82 %.
- 55 % lower risk of ICU admission than patients with 25(OH)D levels ≤20 ng/mL.
- Treatment with calcifediol reduced COVID mortality by 64%
- Patients who died had significantly lower baseline 25(OH)D levels vs. patients who survived
- Obesity increased the risk of ICU admission by 2.55-fold. Previous research has shown that vitamin D deficiency is much more common in the obese.
QUESTIONS: With the initial findings of the Spring with Vitamin D AND HCQ therapy, what harm would it have done to check every patients’ levels and administer this therapy at the onset?
Why is the larger study now being done? If we are “following the Science” why wasn’t this study done in the US? These are ridiculously inexpensive therapies… might that be the reason?