Ortho San Antonio – Reopening
Coronavirus/COVID-19 and NSAIDs/Vitamin D
With all of the recent focus on COVID 19, many people have put their aches and pains on the back burner. The good news is that our hospitals and clinics have re-opened to elective surgeries and we have resumed clinical activities.
Anti-inflammatory use ok?
Specific to COVID 19 and orthopedic pain, patients in clinic have been interested in discussing the safety of anti-inflammatory (NSAID) use.
Initial concerns of NSAID use (such as Ibuprofen, Alleve, etc) with coronavirus came from hypothetical concerns published in a letter to a medical journal. There are no clinical studies currently that definitively link worse coronavirus outcomes with anti-inflammatory use. The FDA published a statement noting this lack of evidence below. If you do not require anti-inflammatories and have concerns, it may be reasonable to hold off on use until further data is available. That is a pretty weak statement but that’s about as definitive as we can be with current data.
Click here for more info.
Should I be taking Vitamin D?
An editorial published recently suggested an association with low vitamin D levels and increased mortality of coronavirus infections. This was based on a literature search of countries with low vitamin D levels and higher reported coronavirus infection rates/death rates. You can see an editorial of the study below.
Click here for view editorial.
Vitamin D deficiency has previously been associated with poor fracture healing, reduced tendon healing, depression, reduced immune system function, and many other clinical conditions. It is easy to supplement over the counter and likely is beneficial if you have low vitamin D levels. During the COVID-19 epidemic, there is also potential that it can be protective against the infection. It is worth discussing your vitamin D levels with your provider and consider taking over the counter vitamin D supplements.
