Usage of Vitamin D for viral infections with a focus on Covid-19 disease and the proposal of a study design (PDF)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Medicine - Internal Medicine, grade: 1,5, , language: English, abstract: In recent years, the popularity of vitamin D has risen in the alternative medicine spectrum as a "universal" substance for all sorts of diseases. Although many of the claims cannot be backed by scientific evidence, strong evidence still demonstrates the beneficial effects of vitamin D for treating various conditions that are not directly related to hypovitaminosis. Currently, there is evidence that demonstrates that the supplementation of vitamin D can prevent or relieve upper respiratory infections and endemic influenza. Additionally, herpesviruses are responsive to treatments that incorporate vitamin D, and antibody titers seem to be higher in individuals with higher vitamin D levels. For viral hepatitis, viral DNA load and seasonal fluctuating vitamin D levels seem to correlate with each other. Regarding Covid-19, there is a clear correlation between the disease's course and duration and vitamin D serum levels. However, it remains unclear whether low vitamin D levels can increase an individual's susceptibility to Covid-19 or whether Covid-19 causes low vitamin D levels. Furthermore, it is unclear whether a part of Covid-19's typical symptoms could be caused by a vitamin D deficiency. To uncover high-quality evidence regarding this topic, the author proposed a clinical trial to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on Covid-19 hospitalisation rates.