CORRELATION BETWEEN VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN PREGNANCY AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT NEONATES

Abstract

Despite discovery of vitamin D a hundred years ago, it has been recently emerged as one of the most controversial Nutrients and prohormones of 21st century. Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has numerous health implications in both the mothers and their offspring, therefore, it is important to prevent women from vitamin D deficiency during this period. Even in Australia, with high levels of sunlight (which is the primary source of vitamin D in human beings), pregnant women have been reported to be at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. It is found to play a major role in calcium metabolism and bone health. Normal vitamin D level is also very much needed for prevention of type 2 diabetes, Gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, cancer, preterm birth and low birth weight. Vitamin D has recently been found to promote insulin action, immunomodulation and lung function. Thus it is found to play a very important role in development of foetus (Sassi et al., 2018).

Term neonates with weight less than 2500gm is referred as low birth weight. They can be small for gestation (low birth weight ) or have intra uterine growth restriction (low birth weight ). Low birth weight babies are 40 times more prone for mortality than normal weight babies. Vitamin D is found to play a very important role in promoting foetal growth by influencing parathyroid hormone and calcium balance. There are many studies describing the importance of antenatal and postnatal maternal vitamin D in predicting the fetal and maternal outcome (von Websky et al., 2018).