High‐dose vitamin D supplementation in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia hospitalized in a polyvalent intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study.

Background and Aims: The health benefits of vitamin D are far beyond bone mineral metabolism. Vitamin D has immunomodulator and anti‐inflammatory properties and its role in critically ill patients is controversial. The purpose of the study is to understand whether high doses of vitamin D supplementation are beneficial in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pneumonia hospitalized in a polyvalent intensive care unit (ICU) and correlate to all‐cause mortality, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, and duration of hospitalization. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a single polyvalent ICU, comparing patients supplemented with vitamin D with nonsupplemented patients. Eligible participants were adults with SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia admitted in this unit between April 14, 2020, and October 31, 2020. Demographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and disease‐related outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of need for invasive mechanical ventilation or duration of hospitalization. Supplementation with vitamin D was associated with lower all‐cause ICU, intrahospital, and total mortality. Conclusion: High‐dose vitamin D supplementation was associated with a reduction of mortality in patients with severe SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia. Randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings and to assess the optimal dosage of supplementation.