Folate levels in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019

Eshcar Meisel, Orly Efros, Jonathan Bleier, Tal Beit Halevi, Gad Segal, Galia Rahav, Avshalom Leibowitz, Ehud Grossman 

Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of reduced folate levels in hospitalized patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to evaluate its outcome and the prognostic importance associated with its different levels. In this retrospective cohort study, data were obtained from the electronic medical records of the Sheba Medical Center. Folic acid levels were available in 333 of 1020 consecutive patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection hospitalized from January 2020 to November 2020. Thirty-eight (11.4%) of the 333 patients that make up the population of the present study they had low folate levels. No significant differences were found in the incidence of acute kidney injury, hypoxemia, invasive ventilation, length of hospital stay and mortality between patients with decreased folate levels and in normal range.

By subdividing the study population according to quartiles of folate levels, similar findings were observed. In conclusion, decreased serum folate levels are common among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but there was no association between serum folate levels and clinical outcomes. Due to the important role of folate in cellular metabolism and the potential pathological impact when it is deficient, monitoring of folate levels or possible supplementation should be encouraged in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. More studies are required to assess the prevalence and consequences of folate deficiency in COVID-19 patients.

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