Table 1. Baseline Characteristics in a Study of the Effect of a High Dose of Vitamin D3 on Patients With Moderate to Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
| Characteristic | Vitamin D3 group (n = 119) | Placebo group (n = 118) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 56.5 (13.8) | 56.0 (15.0) |
| Sex, No. (%) | ||
| Men | 70 (58.8) | 63 (53.4) |
| Women | 49 (41.2) | 55 (46.6) |
| Race, No. (%) | ||
| White | 62 (52.1) | 68 (57.6) |
| Pardoa | 37 (31.1) | 36 (30.5) |
| Black | 19 (16.0) | 14 (11.9) |
| Asian | 1 (0.8) | 0 |
| Time from symptom onset to enrollment, mean (SD), d | 10.2 (3.9) | 10.4 (4.7) |
| Time from hospital admission to enrollment, mean (SD), d | 1.3 (0.9) | 1.4 (0.9) |
| Body mass index, mean (SD) | 31.9 (6.5) | 31.4 (7.6) |
| <18.5, No. (%) | 0 | 2 (1.9) |
| 18.5-24.9, No. (%) | 9 (8.3) | 19 (17.6) |
| 25.0-29.9, No. (%) | 37 (33.9) | 31 (26.9) |
| ≥30, No. (%) | 63 (57.8) | 58 (53.7) |
| Acute COVID-19 symptoms, No. (%) | ||
| Cough | 102 (85.7) | 97 (82.2) |
| Fatigue | 97 (81.5) | 99 (83.9) |
| Fever | 85 (71.4) | 79 (66.9) |
| Myalgia | 68 (57.1) | 70 (59.3) |
| Sore throat | 45 (37.8) | 29 (24.6) |
| Joint pain | 45 (37.8) | 34 (28.8) |
| Runny nose | 43 (36.1) | 44 (37.3) |
| Diarrhea | 41 (34.5) | 46 (39.0) |
| Nasal congestion | 38 (31.9) | 42 (35.6) |
| Coexisting diseases, No. (%) | ||
| Hypertension | 67 (56.3) | 58 (49.2) |
| Diabetes | 49 (41.2) | 35 (29.7) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 16 (13.4) | 16 (13.6) |
| Rheumatic disease | 13 (10.9) | 10 (8.5) |
| Asthma | 7 (5.9) | 7 (5.9) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 7 (5.9) | 5 (4.2) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 2 (1.7) | 0 |
| Concomitant medications, No. (%) | ||
| Anticoagulant | 109 (91.6) | 101 (85.6) |
| Antibiotic | 101 (84.9) | 103 (87.3) |
| Corticosteroids | 77 (64.7) | 73 (61.9) |
| Antihypertensive | 67 (56.3) | 57 (48.3) |
| Proton-pump inhibitor | 47 (39.5) | 49 (41.5) |
| Antiemetic | 45 (37.8) | 55 (46.6) |
| Analgesic | 45 (37.5) | 52 (43.7) |
| Hypoglycemic | 26 (21.8) | 24 (20.3) |
| Hypolipidemic | 15 (12.6) | 18 (15.3) |
| Thyroid | 10 (8.4) | 10 (8.5) |
| Antiviralb | 4 (3.4) | 4 (3.4) |
| Oxygen supplementation, No. (%) | ||
| No oxygen therapy | 16 (13.4) | 9 (7.6) |
| Oxygen therapy | 86 (72.3) | 95 (80.5) |
| Noninvasive ventilation | 17 (14.3) | 14 (11.9) |
| Ground-glass opacities on computed tomography findings, No. (%) | ||
| <50% | 47 (43.9) | 38 (36.9) |
| ≥50% | 60 (56.1) | 65 (63.1) |
| Laboratory values | ||
| 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, mean (SD), ng/mL | 21.2 (10.1) | 20.6 (8.1) |
| Total calcium, mean (SD), mg/dL | 8.7 (0.5) | 8.7 (0.5) |
| Creatinine, mean (SD), mg/dL | 0.90 (0.33) | 0.85 (0.25) |
| C-reactive protein, median (IQR), mg/L | 57.9 (23.3-100.5) | 68.4 (31.5-111.5) |
| D-dimer, median (IQR), ng/mL | 823 (566-1769) | 840 (497-1490) |
SI conversion factors: To convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D to nmol/L, multiply values by 2.496; calcium to mmol/L, multiply values by 0.25; creatinine to μmol/L, multiply values by 88.4; D-dimer to nmol/L, multiply values by 5.476.
Pardo is the exact term used in Brazilian Portuguese, meaning “mixed ethnicity,” according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
Included 3 patients from the vitamin D3 group and 3 patients from the placebo group receiving 75 mg of oseltamivir twice per day for 5 days, 1 patient from the vitamin D3 group receiving 400 mg of acyclovir twice per day for herpes zoster prophylaxis, and 1 patient from the placebo group receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV (atazanavir [300 mg] + tenofovir + ritonavir [100 mg] + lamivudine [300 mg]).