Viral infections have been a cause of mortality for several centuries and continue to endanger the lives of many, specifically of the younger population. Vitamin D has long been recognized as a crucial element to the skeletal system in the human body. Recent evidence has indicated that vitamin D also plays an essential role in the immune response against viral infections and suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases susceptibility to viral infections as well as the risk of recurrent infections. For instance, low serum vitamin D levels were linked to increased occurrence of high burdens viral diseases such as hepatitis, influenza, Covid-19, and AIDS. As immune cells in infected patients are responsive to the ameliorative effects of vitamin D, the beneficial effects of supplementing vitamin D-deficient individuals with an infectious disease may extend beyond the impact on bone and calcium homeostasis. Even though numerous studies have highlighted the effect of vitamin D on the immune cells, vitamin D’s antiviral mechanism has not been fully established. This paper reviews the recent mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates the immune system, both innate and adaptive systems, and reflects on the link between serum vitamin D levels and viral infections.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Vitamin D, Influenza, Hepatitis, AIDS, deficiency, 【초록키워드】 viral infection, immune response, Mortality, adaptive, Antiviral, susceptibility, Infection, risk, Infectious disease, immune system, viral infections, infections, immune cells, viral disease, mechanism, homeostasis, Evidence, Immune cell, regulate, skeletal, individual, serum vitamin D, Effect, recent, Occurrence, indicated, increase, suggested, infected patient, reflect, vitamin D’, 【제목키워드】 Effect,