Does vitamin D supplementation reduce COVID-19 severity?: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The evidence regarding the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in reducing severity of COVID-19 is still insufficient. This is partially due to the lack of primary robust trial-based data and heterogeneous study designs. AIM: This evidence summary, aims to study the effect of vitamin D supplementation on morbidity and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.Design: Evidence summary of systematic reviews. METHODS: For this study, systematic reviews and meta-analysis published from December 2019 to January 2022 presenting the impact of vitamin D supplementation on COVID-19 severity were screened and selected from PubMed and Google scholar. After initial screening, 10 eligible reviews were identified and quality of included reviews were assessed using AMSTAR and GRADE tools and overlapping among the primary studies used were also assessed. RESULTS: The number of primary studies included in the systematic reviews ranged from 3 to 13. Meta-analysis of seven systematic reviews showed strong evidence that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of mortality (Odds ratio: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.346-0.664; P < 0.001) in COVID patients. It was also observed that supplementation reduces the need for intensive care (Odds ratio: 0.35; 95%CI: 0.28-0.44; P < 0.001) and mechanical ventilation (Odds ratio: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.411-0.708; P < 0.001) requirement. The findings were robust and reliable as level of heterogeneity was considerably low. However the included studies were of varied quality. Qualitative analysis showed that supplements (oral and IV) are well tolerated, safe and effective in COVID patients. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show that vitamin D supplementation is effective in reducing the COVID-19 severity. Hence, vitamin D should be recommended as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19.However, more robust and larger trials are required to substantiate it further.

Epidemiological, clinical and biomarker profile of pediatric patients infected with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Given the limited and diverse nature of published literature related to COVID-19 in pediatrics, it is imperative to provide evidence-based summary of disease characteristics for guiding policy decisions. We aim to provide comprehensive overview of epidemiological, clinical and biomarker profile of COVID-19 infection in pediatric population. METHODS: For this umbrella review, published systematic reviews from PubMed and pre-print databases were screened. Literature search was conducted from December 2019 to April 2021. Details of clinical, radiological and laboratory features were collected from each review. Qualitative observations were synthesized and pooled prevalence of mortality and asymptomatic cases were assessed using meta-analysis. RESULTS: Evidence synthesis of 38 systematic reviews included total 1145 studies and 334 398 children and adolescents. Review revealed that COVID-19 is relatively milder with better prognosis in pediatrics. However, patients with comorbidity are at higher risk. Meta-analysis of reviews showed that 21.17% (95% CI: 17.818-24.729) of the patients were asymptomatic and mortality rate was 0.12% (95% CI: 0.0356-0.246). Though there was no publication bias, significant heterogeneity was observed. Fever (48-64%) and cough (35-55.9%) were common symptoms, affecting almost every alternate patient. Ground-glass opacities (prevalence range: 27.4-61.5%) was most frequent radiographic observation. Rise in C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase and D-dimer ranged from 14% to 54%, 12.2-50% and 0.3-67%, respectively. Some of the included reviews (44.7%-AMSTAR; 13.2%-GRADE) were of lower quality. CONCLUSION: Current umbrella review provides most updated information regarding characteristics of COVID-19 infection in pediatrics and can be used to guide policy decision regarding vaccination prioritization, early screening and identification of at-risk population.

Vitamin D supplementation, COVID-19 and disease severity: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Current meta-analysis aims to understand the effect of oral supplementation of vitamin D on intensive care unit (ICU) requirement and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Databases PubMed, preprint servers, and google scholar were searched from December 2019 to December 2020. Authors searched for the articles assessing role of vitamin D supplementation on COVID-19. Cochrane RevMan tool was used for quantitative assessment of the data, where heterogeneity was assessed using I2 and Q statistics and data was expressed using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Final meta-analysis involved pooled data of 532 hospitalized patients (189 on vitamin D supplementation and 343 on usual care/placebo) of COVID-19 from three studies (Two randomized controlled trials, one retrospective case-control study). Statistically (p<0.0001) lower ICU requirement was observed in patients with vitamin D supplementation as compared to patients without supplementations (odds ratio: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.210-0.626). However, it suffered from significant heterogeneity, which reduced after sensitivity analysis. In case of mortality, vitamin D supplements has comparable findings with placebo treatment/usual care (odds ratio: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.413-2.113; p=0.87). The studies did not show any publication bias and had fair quality score. Subgroup analysis could not be performed due to limited number of studies and hence dose and duration dependent effect of vitamin D could not be evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Although the current meta-analysis findings indicate potential role of vitamin D in improving COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients, more robust data from randomized controlled trials are needed to substantiate its effects on mortality.

Secondary attack rate of COVID-19 in household contacts: a systematic review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel virus with continuously evolving transmission trends. Contact tracing and quarantining of positive cases are chief strategies of disease control that has been accepted globally, though scientific knowledge regarding household transmission of the COVID-19 through contact of positive case is sparse. Current systematic review was planned to assess global statistics and characteristics of household secondary attack rate (SAR) of COVID-19. Eligible articles were retrieved through search of-MEDLINE, SCOPUS and EMBASE for the period December 2019 to 15 June 2020. Search terms were developed to identify articles reporting household SARs in various countries. After initial screening of 326 articles, 13 eligible studies were included in the final evidence synthesis. We found that SAR varies widely across countries with lowest reported rate as 4.6% and highest as 49.56%. The rates were unaffected by confounders such as population of the country, lockdown status and geographic location. Review suggested greater vulnerability of spouse and elderly population for secondary transmission than other household members. It was also observed that quarantining and isolation are most effective strategies for prevention of the secondary transmission of the disease. Symptomatic status of the index case emerged to be a critical factor, with very low transmission probability during asymptomatic phase. Present review findings recommend that adequate measures should be provided to protect the vulnerable population as only case tracing and quarantining might be insufficient. It should be combined with advisory for limiting household contacts and active surveillance for symptom onset.

Availability and provision of emergency obstetric care under a public-private partnership in three districts of Gujarat, India: lessons for Universal Health Coverage.

OBJECTIVE: The state of Gujarat in India (population 60 million) has implemented a public-private partnership (PPP) with private obstetricians called the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY) since 2006. This study investigated the adequacy of basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care (BEmOC and CEmOC) services through the public and private sectors with reference to the United Nations (UN) guidelines. DESIGN: A cross-sectional facility survey was conducted in three districts. RESULTS: A total of 300 facilities, 151 public and 149 private, had provided obstetric services to a total of 53 896 births in the past 6 months. Nearly half, 135 facilities (104 public and 31 private), individually reported <10 births per month (low load), and, as a group, reported only 4% of all births in the past 6 months. The remaining 165 high-load facilities consisted of 23 (3 public; 20 private) full CEmOC, 66 (1; 65) 'potential' CEmOC, 12 (3; 9) BEmOC and 57 (40; 17) non-EmOC facilities. All the three districts exceeded the UN recommendation for EmOC availability by 3.3 to 11.3 times. Free provision, through both public and PPP facilities, ranged from 1.42 to 3.43. The actual performance was nearly double the recommendation for CEmOC but inadequate for BEmOC. CONCLUSIONS: Public sector EmOC availability and provision is negligible. Private sector availability is well beyond the recommended UN norms. The CY programme has resulted in increased availability and provision of EmOC services. However, the overall provision of EmOC is compromised due to the poor performance of BEmOC functions and clustering of private facilities in towns.

Chikungunya epidemic-related mortality.

Port Blair, the capital city of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the republic of India, witnessed an outbreak of chikungunya (CHIK) fever in 2006. Although no deaths attributable to CHIK fever were registered, thousands of people were affected. In view of evidence from other parts of the world indicating that CHIK fever does cause death we studied the mortality trend in Port Blair from 2002 to 2008 in order to verify if there was increased mortality during the CHIK fever epidemic. The expected number of monthly deaths in 2006 was calculated by multiplying the average monthly mortality rate from 2002 to 2008 (with the exception of 2006) with the monthly population in 2006. The results indicated that there was a significant increase in expected deaths during some months of 2006, which coincided with the peak in the CHIK fever epidemic in Port Blair.

Managing equipment for emergency obstetric care in rural hospitals.

In resource-poor countries, substantial sums of money from governments and international donors are used to purchase equipment for health facilities. WHO estimates that 50-80% of such equipment remains non-functional. This article is based on experience from various projects in developing countries in Asia and Africa. The key issues in the purchase, distribution, installation, management and maintenance of equipment for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services are identified and discussed. Some positive examples are described to show how common equipment management problems are solved.

Concepts and techniques for planning and implementing a program for renovation of an emergency obstetric care facility.

As emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services are being upgraded, many health planners are considering structural changes to the health facility. Preparing for a renovation is a long process which involves three phases: assessment, planning and implementation. Input from many sources during the course of this process is important. Some design objectives, simple planning techniques and cost considerations are presented. In this paper we discuss some of the critical aspects (based on published literature) in assessing, planning and implementing renovations at an EmOC facility. The actual in-the-field experience of renovations and repairs will be explored in a second paper in this issue.

Planning and implementing a program of renovations of emergency obstetric care facilities: experiences in Rajasthan, India.

Even though many governments and donors are now putting resources into upgrading facilities, the study of the renovation process is one of the most neglected aspects of quality improvement in emergency obstetric care (EmOC). In a previous publication, we discussed basic concepts and simple techniques to assess, plan and implement renovations. Here we focus on actual in-the-field experiences of the renovation process initiated by the health system in Rajasthan, India and the valuable lessons obtained from it. With the advice of the technical members of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the facilities achieved noticeable changes in the physical infrastructure. As a result, the quality of EmOC services improved. We analyze these experiences critically and draw out lessons which may be instructive for future renovation efforts.

Risk factors for small for gestational age births in Ahmedabad, India.

Intra-uterine growth retardation is an important public health problem in many developing countries. The authors conducted a case-control study of low birth weight (LBW) in three teaching hospitals and a population survey in Ahmedabad city, India during 1987-1988. To identify and quantify risk factors for small for gestational age births, we divided the low birth weight and control infants into small for gestational age (SGA, n = 617) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA, n = 1851) using an Indian birth weight by gestational age standard. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios for important risk factors. Prevalence of risk factors was estimated from a community sample survey of mothers (n = 1102) who had delivered in the past year. Attributable risks were calculated from odds ratios and prevalence data. The most important risk factors for SGA was poor maternal nutritional status (weight < 51 kg) with an attributable risk of 42 per cent. Other significant risk factors were anaemia, primiparity, poor obstetric history, lack of antenatal care and hypertension during pregnancy, and birth defects, each of which contributed only moderately to the attributable risk. The analysis indicates that improvement of maternal nutrition and antenatal care might prevent a substantial portion of SGA births in this and similar populations.

Maternal weight, height and risk of poor pregnancy outcome in Ahmedabad, India.

This paper explores the relationships between maternal weight, height and poor pregnancy outcome using a data set from a case-control study of low birth weight (LBW) and perinatal mortality in Ahmedabad, India. Maternal height and weights were compared between mothers of 611 perinatal deaths, 644 preterm-LBW, and 1465 normal birth weight controls as well as 617 small-for-gestational age (SGA) and 1851 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) births. Weight and height were much lower in this population compared to western standards. Low weight and height were associated with increased risk of perinatal death, prematurity and SGA. After adjusting for confounders, maternal weight remained significantly associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, whereas height was only weakly associated. Attributable risk estimates show that low weight is a much more important contributor to poor outcome than low height. Improvement in maternal nutritional status could lead to substantial improvement in birth outcome in this population.

PIP: In India, researchers analyzed three sets of case control comparisons (611 perinatal deaths vs. 1465 controls, 644 preterm low birth weight [LBW] cases vs. 1465 controls, and 617 small-for-gestational-age [SGA] cases vs. 1851 controls) to investigate the association between maternal weight, height, and weight-height indices and pregnancy outcome. They hoped to identify which maternal anthropometric measure could best predict poor perinatal health. All cases and controls were born at three teaching hospitals in Ahmedabad during 1987-1988. More than 66% of control mothers and around 75% of case mothers weighed less than 50 kg, indicating considerable maternal undernutrition. Low maternal weight was associated with all three poor perinatal outcomes (p 0.01) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for perinatal death = 1.6 for 46-50 kg, 1.7 for 41-45 kg, and 2.9 for 40 kg or less; AOR for preterm/LBW = 1.7, 2.5, and 4.9, respectively; AOR for SGA = 1.7, 1.7, and 2.4, respectively). The association between shortness (155 cm) and all three perinatal outcomes was only significant at 150-154 cm for perinatal death (AOR = 1.4), at 150-154 cm and 145-149 cm for preterm/LBW (AOR = 1.3 and 1.5, respectively), and at less than 145 cm and 150-154 cm (AOR = 1.5 and 1.3, respectively) (p 0.01). This association was less than that between maternal weight and perinatal outcomes. The weight-height ratio index and weight-height product index were significantly associated with all three perinatal outcomes (AOR = 1.6-4.9 and 1.4-5.2, respectively; p 0.01). Maternal weight had higher attributable risks than maternal height for perinatal death (37.1% vs. 18.1%), for preterm/LBW (55.6% vs. 18.4%), and for SGA (39.8% vs. 16.4%). Low height was probably mediated through low weight and other factors. These findings show that low weight contributes much more than low height to poor perinatal outcome. Improvement of maternal nutrition, through the Integrated Child Development Services, for example, would likely improve perinatal outcomes.

Micro-level planning using rapid assessment for primary health care services.

This paper describes the use of a rapid assessment technique in micro-level planning for primary health care services which has been developed in India. This methodology involves collecting household-level data through a quick sample survey to estimate client needs, coverage of services and unmet need, and using this data to formulate micro-level plans aimed at improving service coverage and quality for a primary health centre area. Analysis of the data helps to identify village level variations in unmet need and develop village profiles from which general interventions for overall improvement of service coverage and targeted interventions for selected villages are identified. A PHC area plan is developed based on such interventions. This system was tried out in 113 villages of three PHC centres of a district in Gujarat state of India. It demonstrated the feasibility and utility of this approach. However, it also revealed the barriers in the institutionalization of the system on a wider scale. The proposed micro-level planning methodology using rapid assessment would improve client-responsiveness of the health care system and provide a basis for increased decentralization. By focusing attention on under-served areas, it would promote equity in the use of health services. It would also help improve efficiency by making it possible to focus efforts on a small group of villages which account for most of the unmet need for services in an area. Thus the proposed methodology seems to be a feasible and an attractive alternative to the current top-down, target-based health planning in India.

PIP: The authors describe the use of a rapid assessment technique in micro-level planning for primary health care (PHC) services which has been developed in India. The technique involves collecting household-level data through a quick sample survey to estimate client needs, service coverage, and unmet need. The data are then used to develop plans designed to improve service coverage and quality for a primary health center area. Analyzing the data helps to identify village-level variations in unmet need and develop village profiles from which general interventions for overall service coverage improvement and targeted interventions for selected villages are identified. A PHC area plan is developed and the system implemented in 113 villages of three PHC centers of a district in Gujarat state. The program demonstrated the feasibility and utility of the approach, while also revealing barriers in institutionalizing the system on a broader scale. This planning methodology should improve the client responsiveness of the health system, provide a basis for increased decentralization, promote equity in the use of health services, and help improve efficiency. The methodology therefore appears to be both feasible and preferred over the current top-down, target-based health planning approach employed in India.

Risk factors for preterm and term low birthweight in Ahmedabad, India.

To identify and quantify risk factors for preterm and term low birthweight (LBW) we conducted a hospital-based case-control study, linked with a population survey in Ahmedabad, India. The case-control study of 673 term LBW, 644 preterm LBW cases and 1465 controls showed that low maternal weight, poor obstetric history, lack of antenatal care, clinical anaemia and hypertension were significant independent risk factors for both term and preterm LBW. Short interpregnancy interval was associated with an increased risk of preterm LBW birth while primiparous women had increased risk of term LBW. Muslim women were at a reduced risk of term LBW, but other socioeconomic factors did not remain significant after adjusting for these more proximate factors. Estimates of the prevalence of risk factors from the population survey was used to calculate attributable risk. This analysis suggested that a substantial proportion of term and preterm LBW births may be averted by improving maternal nutritional status, anaemia and antenatal care.

PIP: In 1987-1988, researchers compared data on 1317 low birth weight (LBW) infants and 1465 control infants born in 3 teaching hospitals in Ahmedabad, India to calculate attributable risk (AR) for factors contributing to low birth weight. 673 of the infants were full term yet LBW due to intrauterine growth retardation. 644 of LBW infants were preterm births. They also conducted a population survey in Ahmedabad to estimate the prevalence of risk factors. LBW prevalence stood at 30%. Low maternal weight, poor pregnancy history, lack of prenatal care, clinical anemia, and hypertension were all significant independent risk factors for term and preterm LBW infants (p.05). Primiparous women were more likely to have a term LBW infant than other women (p.05). Interpregnancy intervals =or 6 months was more likely to result in delivery of a preterm LBW infant than longer interpregnancy intervals (p.05). Muslim women were at a much lower risk of delivering a term LBW infant than were Hindu women (p.05). Other than primiparity for term LBW infants (AR=21.9%), maternal weight between 41-45 kg was the single greatest risk factor for LBW (AR=21.5% for term and 19.8% for preterm). Yet low maternal weight had greater adjusted odds ratios (OR) than did maternal weight between 41-45 kg (OR=6.9 and 6.2 vs. OR=3.1 and 2.9). Maternal weight was used to measure nutritional status. Clinical anemia also carried a high Ar, especially for term LBW infants (3.7-8.2% vs. 2.8-7.3% for preterm infants). Another risk factor with considerable AR was no prenatal care (5.8% for term and 14.4% for preterm). These results emphasized the need for health and nutrition interventions to reduce the incidence of both preterm and term LBW infants in urban India.