Association of Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnancy and Risk of Preterm Labor

Abstract

reterm birth (PTB) is the birth of a baby before 37 complete weeks of gestation. Every year, 15 million neonates worldwide are born preterm. PTB, as the largest cause of neonatal deaths worldwide, puts surviving children at risk for cerebral palsy, behavioral problems, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, hearing impairments, increased hospital admissions and academic underachievement. Despite its discovery 100 years ago, vitamin D (VD) has emerged as one of the most controversial nutrients and prohormones of the 21st century. In the past few years, a growing interest in VD has been observed in the biomedical literature due to evidences demonstrating a relevant relationship not only between regulation of calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, but also multiple disease states and low VD status in the population. Recent findings suggested a significant implication of VD in different physiologic processes, such as vascular health, immune function, metabolism, and placental function. Findings from observational studies show higher rates of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and bacterial vaginosis in women with low VD levels. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between vitamin D status and preterm labor. The current study was conducted at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital and Dar Ismael Maternity