Abstract
The association between maternal vitamin D deficiency and the risk of severe preeclampsia is still debated. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate vitamin D status in Chinese pregnant women and investigate its correlation with the odds of developing severe preeclampsia. A cohort study was performed on 13,806 pregnant women who routinely visited the antenatal care clinics and subsequently delivered at the Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital. All the subjects in the cohort had their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations measured during pregnancy. A high prevalence of maternal vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L) was found. Pregnant women who had different BMIs before pregnancy had significantly different serum concentrations of 25(OH)D. There was also a significant difference in the serum 25(OH)D concentration among pregnant women of different ages. The serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly lower in pregnant women who subsequently developed severe preeclampsia compared with those who did not. Maternal vitamin D deficiency at 23–28 weeks of gestation was strongly associated with increased odds for severe preeclampsia after adjusting for relevant confounders (adjusted OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.77–5.65). Further studies are required to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation would reduce the risk of severe preeclampsia and improve pregnancy outcomes.
Highlights
Vitamin D is an important nutrient for human health [1]
We collected blood samples across the four seasons, and we found that season of maternal blood sampling was associated with the odds of severe preeclampsia after adjusting for maternal vitamin D status
Vitamin D deficiency at midgestation is common among Chinese pregnant women
Summary
Vitamin D is an important nutrient for human health [1]. Vitamin D undergoes hydroxylation to become 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the liver, which is subsequently converted to its active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) D) in the kidney, the placenta and other target organs [2]. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy might cause multiple adverse health problems in mothers and infants, which include abnormal fetal bone metabolism and maternal postnatal depression that may persist into later life [5]. In addition to the classical effect on bone mineralization and calcium absorption, vitamin D plays a critical role in immunomodulation. It is Nutrients 2017, 9, 138; doi:10.3390/nu9020138 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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