TOPLINE:

Among patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, vitamin D deficiency was linked to a more than threefold increased risk for 90‑day mortality and a similar increase in risk for 180‑day mortality compared with sufficient vitamin D levels.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from an ongoing population-based cohort study in Denmark and included 514 patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (median age, 74 years; 44.4% women) to investigate the association between vitamin D status and the risk for mortality.
• Data were collected within 48 hours of admission and included sociodemographic profiles, lifestyle factors, anthropometric measures, comorbidities, and clinical parameters.
• Serum vitamin D levels were classified as sufficient, insufficient, or deficient if they were ≥ 50 nmol/L, 25 to < 50 nmol/L, or < 25 nmol/L, respectively.
• The primary outcome was 90-day mortality, and secondary outcomes were in-hospital, 30-day, and 180-day mortality.
• The follow-up period was 180 days from the day of admission.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients with deficiency were younger and had lower levels of vitamin B12 and folate than those with sufficient or insufficient vitamin D status.
• After adjustment for confounding factors, deficient vitamin D status was associated with a nearly threefold increased risk for 90-day mortality vs sufficient vitamin D status (odds ratio [OR], 3.50; P = .049).
• Patients with deficient vitamin D had a higher risk for 180‑day mortality than those with sufficient vitamin D after adjustment for confounding factors (OR, 3.27; P = .04); the risk for in-hospital and 30-day mortality did not differ significantly between the groups.
• No significant differences in mortality were observed between patients with insufficient and sufficient vitamin D status for any outcome.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our results and those from other studies indicate that maintaining serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 50 nmol/L may be beneficial for reducing mortality risk among both hospitalized and nonhospitalized individuals,” the authors wrote. 

SOURCE:

The study was led by Maria Hein Hegelund, Copenhagen University Hospital - North Zealand, Hillerød, Denmark. It was published online on November 19, 2025, in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

LIMITATIONS:

A relatively small number of in‑hospital and 30‑day deaths may have limited the study’s power to detect associations with vitamin D status. Additionally, selection bias was possible as patients with severe illness were more likely to decline participation, and data on several key potential confounders were missing.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Research Council at Copenhagen University Hospital and the Helen Rudes Foundation. The authors reported having no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.