Vitamin D Status in Pregnant Women and Their Newborns in Karaj: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

Background Pregnant women and newborns are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. This study aimed to determine the vitamin D status in pregnant women and their newborns in Karaj, Iran. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2014 to October 2015.A total of 151 pregnant women and 154 newborns (three twin cases) were included in the study. After obtaining 5 ml venous blood samples from mothers and 5 ml blood from the umbilical cord of newborns, 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH) D] was measured by ELISA method. Serum level of 25(OH) D below 20 ng/ml was considered deficiency, 21-29 ng/ml was considered insufficient and 30-100 ng/ml was considered sufficient. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20.0. Results The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its insufficiency was 93.5% and 6.5% for pregnant women, 94.2% and 3.9% for newborns, respectively. The mean 25(OH) D concentration in pregnant women and newborns was estimated to be 10.649 +/- 5.967 ng/ml and 10.574 +/- 6.280 ng/ml, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the mean 25(OH) D concentration in mothers and their newborns (r=0.913 and p<0.001); 92.9% of mothers and their newborns had vitamin D deficiency simultaneously. Conclusion The results of this study showed that overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiencies (levels <30 ng/ml) in pregnant women and their newborns was estimated to be 100% and 98.1%, respectively and mean concentration of 25(OH) D for pregnant women and their newborns is very low. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency should be considered as a serious health priority.