Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in mothers and their newborns in a Tunisian population

Objective: To assess vitamin D status in mothers and their newborns and identify predictive factors of vitamin D deficiency. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken of healthy women and their full-term newborns delivered at the Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia, between October and November 2012. Maternal and neonatal serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were measured. Correlations were tested. Results: Overall, 87 mothers and their newborns were enrolled. No mother or neonate had an adequate vitamin D status. Mean maternal and neonatal serum 25(OH)D concentrations were 6.82 +/- 5.14 ng/mL (range 3.60-23.77) and 5.92 +/- 4.15 ng/mL (range 3.60-22.28), respectively. Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL) was found in 84 (97%) mothers and 85 (98%) neonates, of whom 76 (87%) and 78 (90%), respectively, had severe deficiency (serum 25(OH)D <12 ng/mL). Maternal serum 25(OH)D showed a strong positive correlation with neonatal serum 25(OH)D (r = 0.69, P<0.001). Maternal dietary vitamin D intake was the only factor shown to be associated with serum 25(OH)D concentrations (P<0.05). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among Tunisian mothers and their neonates. (C) 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.