Vitamin D deficiency in veiled or dark-skinned pregnant women

Objectives: To determine the vitamin D status of veiled or dark-skinned pregnant women, because of their known increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. Design: An audit of vitamin D status. Setting: An antenatal clinic in a major metropolitan teaching hospital, Melbourne, Victoria. Participants: Pregnant women attending the clinic who agreed to be screened. Main outcome measures: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D-3 (25OHD(3)) level at first visit to the antenatal clinic. Results: Of 94 women, 82 were screened. Sixty-six women (80%) had 25OHD(3) values below the test reference range (22.5-93.8 nmol/L). Conclusions: Our findings are a cause for concern, because vitamin D deficient women are at risk of bone disease and their children at risk of neonatal hypocalcaemia and rickets.