Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and newborns in Lagos, Nigeria.

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and newborns in Lagos, Nigeria. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2018 Feb 13;:1-6 Authors: Owie E, Afolabi BB Abstract We aimed to determine the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women and their newborns in order to make recommendations for Vitamin D supplementation, if necessary. It was a cross-sectional study carried out over a period of 12 months. Information such as use of Vitamin D supplements, number of daytime hours spent outdoors and dressing style was obtained from 166 pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria; maternal and cord blood 25(OH)D concentration was determined using ELISA. The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) in the mothers and newborns was 4.8% and 29.5%, respectively, while insufficiency (21-29 ng/mL) was 28.3% and 46.1%, respectively. Vitamin D supplement use during pregnancy, daytime outdoor exposure and mothers' dressing style were significantly associated with maternal serum 25(OH)D concentration (p < .05). Our study showed that despite a sunny environment like ours, inadequate serum 25(OH)D concentration is still considerable among pregnant women and their newborns and suggests a need for Vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that plays a major role in maintaining pregnancy and ensuring adequate skeletal formation in the foetus. Studies have shown that...
Source: Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Category: OBGYN Tags: J Obstet Gynaecol Source Type: research