Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in a Large Newborn Cohort from Northern United States and Effect of Intrauterine Drug Exposure.

Neelakanta Kanike,Krupa Gowri Hospattankar,Sharon Groh-Wargo,Amit Sharma,Sarah Worley

doi:10.3390/nu12072085

Abstract

Vitamin D is not only a vital element in bone health but is also a prohormone. Data regarding distribution of vitamin D status among preterm and term neonates in the United States are limited. There are no data on the effect of intrauterine drug exposure on vitamin D status. Our objective was to determine the distribution of vitamin D levels among preterm and term neonates and the effect of intrauterine illicit drug exposure. We did a retrospective chart review of neonates admitted from 2009 to 2016 to our neonatal intensive care unit with serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25[OH]D) levels measured during the hospital stay. Of 1517 neonates, the median 25[OH]D level was 19 ng/mL with 31% deficient and 49% insufficient, even though 75% of mothers took prenatal vitamins. In pregnant women, 38% were vitamin-D-deficient and 44% were vitamin-D-insufficient. Four hundred seventy-one neonates had intrauterine drug exposure, with a median 25[OH]D level of 22.9 ng/mL versus 17.8 ng/mL in nonexposed neonates (p = 0.001). Despite maternal prenatal vitamin intake, neonates are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Maternal illicit drug use was not related to lower 25[OH]D levels in neonates.

Highlights

Vitamin D is a vital element in bone health but is a prohormone that has an important role in other body systems
Practice Guidelines, we developed a routine practice of measuring vitamin D levels at 24 to 48 h of life in our neonatal intensive care unit to identify infants with vitamin D deficiency and supplement them with 2000 IU ergocalciferol daily until the levels improved to a normal range
The strong association between maternal and infant 25[OH]D levels reported in our study offers further confirmation that newborn 25[OH]D levels are dependent on maternal serum 25[OH]D

Summary

Introduction

Vitamin D is a vital element in bone health but is a prohormone that has an important role in other body systems. Vitamin D deficiency in neonates has been linked to a higher risk of respiratory distress syndrome, food sensitivities, asthma, type I diabetes, autism, schizophrenia, and lower respiratory infections [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25[OH]D), the best estimator of body vitamin D stores, crosses the placenta through passive or facilitated transport according to a concentration gradient [9,10]. Deficiency of vitamin D is a worldwide health concern that affects more than one billion kids and adults globally [11]. Deficiency of vitamin D in pregnant women may affect fetal growth, bone ossification, and tooth enamel formation [12].

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