Correlation between maternal and neonatal blood Vitamin D level; A cross sectional study of 416 participants visiting a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

In Pakistan there is limited evidence for the levels and relationship of 25 (OH) Vitamin D [25(OH)D] status in pregnant women and their newborns while the association between maternal 25(OH)D and newborn anthropometric measurements remains unexplored. Sociodemographic data was collected from 213 pregnant mothers during their visit to a tertiary care hospital at the time of childbirth. Anthropometric measurements were performed on all mothers and their newborns and blood samples collected from both for 25(OH)D levels. Participants were classified into two groups according to their 25(OH)D status: Sufficient (25(OH)D ≥50nmol/l) and Deficient (25(OH)D 0.05). Our study shows a high prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in pregnant women and their newborns and a strong positive association between maternal and newborn 25(OH)D levels. Findings of this study indicate the importance of maintaining sufficient 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy