Cord Blood Vitamin D Level in Neonates of Preeclamptic Mothers

Abstract

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia bycausing abnormal placental implantation and by affecting the inflammatory response. Theaim of this study was to compare the cord blood vitamin D level in neonates born topreeclamptic mothers with that of a control group of newborns whose mothers were notpreeclamptic.Methods: The preeclamptic group was made up of newborns of mothers classified as havingmoderate to severe preeclampsia. Neonates of a similar gestational age and birth weightborn to normotensive mothers comprised the control group. The cord blood vitamin Dlevel of both groups of newborns was measured and the results were statistically compared.Results: Sixty neonates born to preeclamptic mothers and 47 born to normotensive mothers were included in the study. The mean serum vitamin D level of the study group was12.62±5.43 ng/mL and 12.85±5.56 ng/mL in the control group. The percentage of thosedetermined to have a serum vitamin D level <20 ng/mL in the study and the control groupswas 89.5% and 88.9%, respectively. The serum magnesium level in the study group was statistically greater than that observed in the control group (p<0.001).Conclusion: The cord blood vitamin D level of those born to preeclamptic mothers wasnot found to be statistically different when compared with the vitamin D level of neonatesof normotensive mothers.