Vitamin D in Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 232

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Department of Rheumatology, St. Paul’s Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: rheumatoid arthritis; tumor necrosis factor; fatty acids; treatment; systemic lupus erythematosus
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Dear Colleagues,

Vitamin D is a hormone with multiple actions and potent immunomodulatory properties, as it may enhance the innate immune response and may modulate the adaptive immune response. Vitamin D deficiency has been observed in various autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and systemic sclerosis. Vitamin D may be a useful addition in the therapeutic management of multiple sclerosis as it may modulate the autoimmune process involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Vitamin D administration may also be useful in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus. Vitamin D may enhance the innate immune response and may be helpful in the fight against infectious diseases. Vitamin D deficiency has been related to the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and its administration may be a useful addition in the armamentarium against this disease.

In this Special Issue, all articles related to vitamin D, its immunomodulatory properties, and its relationship with autoimmune and infectious diseases are welcome.

Dr. Panagiotis Athanassiou
Dr. Ifigenia Kostoglou-Athanassiou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • vitamin D
  • autoimmunity
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • systemic sclerosis
  • infectious agents
  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 1404 KiB  
Review
Vitamin D and COVID-19: Clinical Evidence and Immunological Insights
by Olga Adriana Caliman-Sturdza, Roxana Elena Gheorghita and Iuliana Soldanescu
Life 2025, 15(5), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050733 (registering DOI) - 30 Apr 2025
Abstract
Vitamin D has emerged as a potential modulator of immune responses, sparking interest in its role in COVID-19 susceptibility and clinical outcomes. This review synthesizes current clinical evidence and explores immunological insights into the relationship between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 infection severity. [...] Read more.
Vitamin D has emerged as a potential modulator of immune responses, sparking interest in its role in COVID-19 susceptibility and clinical outcomes. This review synthesizes current clinical evidence and explores immunological insights into the relationship between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 infection severity. Epidemiological studies indicate an inverse correlation between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Immunologically, vitamin D exerts regulatory effects on both innate and adaptive immunity, enhancing antimicrobial defense mechanisms, reducing excessive inflammatory responses, and potentially mitigating cytokine storm events observed in severe COVID-19 cases. Despite promising observational data, clinical trials evaluating vitamin D supplementation have shown mixed results, underscoring the need for standardized dosing regimens and patient stratification. Future research should focus on large-scale randomized controlled trials to conclusively determine the therapeutic potential and optimal supplementation strategies for vitamin D in managing COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D in Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases)
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