@article{Hastie_C-2020_12056, title = {Vitamin D concentrations and COVID-19 infection in UK Biobank}, author = {Hastie, C. and Mackay, D. and Ho, F. and Celis-Morales, C. and Katikireddi, S. and Niedzwiedz, C. and Jani, B. and Welsh, P. and Mair, F. and Gray, S. and O'Donnell, C. and Gill, J. and Sattar, N. and Pell, J.}, month = {jul}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Background and aims: COVID-19 and low levels of vitamin D appear to disproportionately affect black and minority ethnic individuals. We aimed to establish whether blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration was associated with COVID-19 risk, and whether it explained the higher incidence of COVID-19 in black and South Asian people. Methods: UK Biobank recruited 502,624 participants aged 37–73 years between 2006 and 2010. Baseline exposure data, including 25(OH)D concentration and ethnicity, were linked to COVID-19 test results. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for the association between 25(OH)D and confirmed COVID-19, and the association between ethnicity and both 25(OH)D and COVID-19. Results: Complete data were available for 348,598 UK Biobank participants. Of these, 449 had confirmed COVID-19 infection. Vitamin D was associated with COVID-19 infection univariably (OR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.99–0.999; p = 0.013), but not after adjustment for confounders (OR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.998–1.01; p = 0.208). Ethnicity was associated with COVID-19 infection univariably (blacks versus whites OR = 5.32, 95% CI = 3.68–7.70, p-value<0.001; South Asians versus whites OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.65–4.25, p-value<0.001). Adjustment for 25(OH)D concentration made little difference to the magnitude of the association. Conclusions: Our findings do not support a potential link between vitamin D concentrations and risk of COVID-19 infection, nor that vitamin D concentration may explain ethnic differences in COVID-19 infection.}, pages = {561-565}, volume = {14}, issue = {4}, journal = {Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews}, publisher = {Elsevier}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.050}, }