Low vitamin D during pregnancy linked to preeclampsia
Dated: 13 September 2007
The lack of vitamin D early in pregnancy can increase the risk of developing pre-eclampsia by five folds, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy marked by soaring blood pressure and swelling of the hands and feet, is the leading cause of premature delivery as well as maternal and fetal illness and death worldwide.
“Our results showed that maternal vitamin D deficiency early in pregnancy is a strong, independent risk factor for preeclampsia,” said Dr. Lisa Bodnar, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
Vitamin D deficiency early in life is associated with rickets – a disorder thought to have been eradicated in the United States more than 50 years ago – as well as increased risk for Type 1 diabetes, asthma and schizophrenia.
