ABSTRACT

Background: COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and was declared a pandemic in early 2020. Moderate degree COVID-19 patients are generally hospitalized and receive several treatment regimens. Vitamin D3 is one of the additions to the standard therapy of COVID-19. Calcifediol is a more potent vitamin D3, able to increase serum 25OHD levels rapidly. However, it is not yet known the effectiveness of calcifediol in reducing mortality and worsening of COVID-19. Objective: Figure out the effectiveness of calcifediol and standard therapies in reducing mortality or clinical worsening of COVID-19 hospitalization patients.
M
ethods: The literature search was conducted through five databases: Pubmed, Cochrane, EBSCO, ProQuest, and Scopus. Three literatures that matched clinical questions and eligibility criteria were then critically examined using Oxford’s Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) and Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) forms.
Result: The three selected studies include one RCT and two cohort studies. All studies used calcifediol at doses of 0.266 mg/capsule and standard therapy according to hospital protocol. All three studies suggest that calcifediol and standard therapy can lower the risk of mortality compared to standard therapy use alone, two studies suggest it can reduce clinical worsening in the form of ICU admission.
Conclusion: Administration of calcifediol in addition to standard therapy of COVID-19 inpatients results in a better decrease in mortality and clinical worsening than standard therapy alone.
Keywords: Calcifediol, COVID-19, standard therapy, hospitalization