Folate levels in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of decreased folate levels in patients hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and evaluate their outcome and the prognostic signifi-cance associated with its different levels. In this retrospective cohort study, data were obtained from the electronic medical records at the Sheba Medical Center. Folic acid levels were available in 333 out of 1020 consecutive patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection hospitalized from January 2020 to November 2020. Thirty-eight (11.4%) of the 333 patients comprising the present study population had low folate levels. No significant difference was found in the incidence of acute kidney injury, hypoxemia, invasive ventilation, length of hospital stay, and mortality be-tween patients with decreased and normal-range folate levels. When sub-dividing the study population according to quartiles of folate levels, similar findings were observed. In conclusion, decreased serum folate levels are common among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, but there was no association between serum folate levels and clinical outcomes. Due to the important role of folate in cell metabolism and the potential pathologic impact when deficient, a follow-up of folate levels or possible supplementation should be encouraged in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Fur-ther studies are required to assess the prevalence and consequences of folate deficiency in COVID-19 patients.