Monitoring changes in vitamin D levels during the COVID-19 pandemic with routinely-collected laboratory data

Lea Skapetze, Daniela Koller, Andreas Zwergal, Stefan Feuerriegel, Anna Rubinski and Eva Grill ()
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Lea Skapetze: LMU Munich
Daniela Koller: LMU Munich
Andreas Zwergal: LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich
Stefan Feuerriegel: LMU Munich
Anna Rubinski: Health Data Technologies GmbH
Eva Grill: LMU Munich

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Vitamin D is critical for bone health and immune function, but the COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by lockdowns and reduced outdoor activity, raised concerns about potential declines in vitamin D levels due to dietary changes and limited sunlight exposure. In this study, we analyzed routinely-collected laboratory data (N = 292,187 patients) from a large laboratory chain in Bavaria, Germany, to assess changes in vitamin D levels before (March 2018 to February 2020) and during (March 2020 to February 2022) the pandemic. Different statistical approaches (i.e., descriptive statistics, propensity score matching, and a causal forest) were used to evaluate confounder-adjusted changes in vitamin D levels and deficiency rates. Mean vitamin D levels decreased significantly from 26.7 μg/l pre-pandemic to 26.0 μg/l during the pandemic (p-value

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64192-6

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