Possible role of vitamin D in Covid-19 infection in pediatric population

• Published in: Journal of endocrinological investigation 2021-01, Vol.44 (1), p.27-35
• Main Authors: Panfili, F. M., Roversi, M., D’Argenio, P., Rossi, P., Cappa, M., Fintini, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Age of Onset; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autoimmune diseases; Cathelicidins; Child; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - pathology; COVID-19 - therapy; Cytokines; Defensins; Dietary Supplements; Endocrinology; Female; Fibrosis; Humans; Immune system; Immunomodulation; Immunomodulation - drug effects; Infections; Inflammation; Innate immunity; Intensive care units; Internal Medicine; Lung diseases; Lymphocytes T; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Pandemics; Pediatrics; Plasma cells; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - pathology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Respiratory tract diseases; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Short Review; Supplements; Toll-like receptors; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D - physiology
• ISSN: 1720-8386; 0391-4097; 1720-8386
• DOI: 10.1007/s40618-020-01327-0

Purpose Covid-19 is a pandemic of unprecedented proportion, whose understanding and management is still under way. In the emergency setting new or available therapies to contrast the spread of COVID-19 are urgently needed. Elderly males, especially those affected by previous diseases or with comorbidities, are more prone to develop interstitial pneumonia that can deteriorate evolving to ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) that require hospitalization in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Even children and young patients are not spared by SARS-CoV 2 infection, yet they seem to develop a milder form of disease. In this setting the immunomodulatory role of Vitamin D, should be further investigated. Methods: We reviewed the literature about the immunomodulatory role of Vitamin D collecting data from the databases Medline and Embase. Results Vitamin D proved to interact both with the innate immune system, by activating Toll-like receptors (TLRs) or increasing the levels of cathelicidins and β-defensins, and adaptive immune system, by reducing immunoglobulin secretion by plasma cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines production, thus modulating T cells function. Promising results have been extensively described as regards the supplementation of vitamin D in respiratory tract infections, autoimmune diseases and even pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions In this review, we suggest that vitamin D supplementation might play a role in the prevention and/or treatment to SARS-CoV-2 infection disease, by modulating the immune response to the virus both in the adult and pediatric population.