Maternal serum vitamin D and spontaneous preterm birth

Abstract

Maternal serum vitamin D and spontaneous preterm birth A.Kalok1, N.H.A. Aziz1D.A. Malik1, S.A. Shah3, D.N. Nasuruddin2, M.H. Omar1, N.A.M. Ismail1, M.N. Shafiee1 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Medical Centre, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. 3UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Summary Poor maternal vitamin D status is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes. and in- creased risk of caesarean delivery. The authors conducted a prospective observational study to determine the association between ma- ternal serum vitamin D levels and spontaneous preterm delivery. Pregnant women between 26 and 34 weeks of gestation, with symptoms of preterm labour were recruited. The control group consisted of healthy pregnant women of similar gestation age. The maternal serum vitamin D and calcium levels were measured and all women were followed up until delivery. The patients’ demographics data and their respective perinatal outcomes were collected and analysed. A total of 161 women were recruited for the study. The prevalence of vita- min D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were 41.3%, 50.9%, and 6.8% respectively (p < 0.001). The mean maternal serum vi- tamin D for control, threatened preterm labour, and preterm birth group were 26.5±3.8 ng/mL, 17.9±8.0 ng/mL, and 13.5 ±6.98 ng/mL respectively (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the means of serum vitamin D among women with or without ante- natal complications, such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension or preeclampsia. Vitamin D level was positively correlated with gestational age at delivery (p < 0.001) and newborn weight (p < 0.001). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of spontaneous preterm labour, although there is no strong evidence of correlation with other antenatal complications. In view of high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in this population, routine supplement of vitamin D maybe beneficial in reduc- tion of premature births. Key words: Vitamin D; Prematurity; Preterm birth.