Cristian Camilo Burbano Insuasty*, Luis Felipe Carrion Guzman, Bryan Fernando Salazar Ibarra, Rommel Ricardo Carrion Ordonez, Jennifer Cristina Carvajal Ojeda, Katty del Carmen Chamorro Acevedo, Marco Antonio Ditta Cassiani, Esteban Gomez Rios
Background: Vitamin D is produced in the skin upon sun exposure. Vitamin D is necessary to maintain serum calcium concentration within the normal physiologic range for musculoskeletal health. Currently one in five Americans dies in the ICU, and virtually every generation today will have an ICU encounter in their lifetime. Survivors of critical illness are at risk for subsequent hospitalization, outpatient evaluation and related health care costs.
Methodology: A systematic review was carried out through various databases from January 2010 to February 2022; the search and selection of articles was carried out in indexed journals in English. Key words used were: Vitamin D, Mortality, ICU, Critical patient.
Results: Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol in a two-step process in which the B-ring is broken down under ultraviolet rays (e.g., sunlight) and the pre-D3 formed in this process is isomerized to D3 in a sensitive but non-catalytic thermo- process. Vitamin D deficiency could lead to major health impacts, including higher severity of illness scores and risk of death, longer ICU stay, longer duration of mechanical ventilation, higher rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia and positive blood cultures, and a higher incidence of organ dysfunction, particularly acute kidney injury.
Conclusions: The present review provides current and accurate information on the functions of vitamin D, what its deficiency entails and its impact on health and its role as a risk factor for mortality in critically ill patients.
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