Association of vitamin D in pregnancy and after 15 days of delivery along with neonatal

Abstract

Summary Background &aims India, where sunshine is abundant throughout the year, the extent of VD deficiency have been reported ranging from 50% to 86.5% for neonatal and young infants, which is still huge. The high prevalence of VD deficiency during pregnancy is increasingly recognized, especially in women, following customs like a veil. Uttarakhand located at the foothills of Himalayas is the totally socio-culturally diverse state with higher population density in the plain region like Dehradun, India. Methods To understand the differences in VD status we evaluated 25 (OH) D levels in three trimesters of pregnancy and at birth in neonatal serum and cord blood along with 15 days of life born within our hospital along with mother respectively. Results The study demonstrated a high prevalence of VD levels at the time of pregnancy. The studied reflects a deficiency of serum VD in the first trimester 18 ± 6 ng/ml, while in second and third trimester VD levels were more 38 ± 3 and 41 ± 4 ng/ml respectively as compared to first. There was a significant difference in VD status due to the presence of supplementation in both cord blood and in neonatal serum. There are many traditional factors which contributed to the observation of the high occurrence of VD deficiency in this study. Identifying VD deficiency at pregnancy time and after birth should be essential for the growth of public policy for anticipation and supplementation. Conclusions The study demonstrated a high prevalence of VD status with significant differences due to the existence of supplementation. There are many traditional factors which contributed to the observation of the high occurrence of VD deficiency in this study. Identifying VD deficiency at pregnancy time and after birth should be essential for the growth of public policy for anticipation and supplementation. To improve this situation, pregnant mothers should be educated about the importance of VD deficiency at and after birth for the development of risk factors.