Vitamin D Levels in Early and Middle Pregnancy and Preeclampsia, a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Vitamin D (VitD) shows a beneficial role in placentation, the immune system, and angiogenesis, and thus, VitD status may link to the risk of preeclampsia. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the association between VitD status in early and middle pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia. A total of 22 studies with 25,530 participants were included for analysis. Women with VitD insufficiency or deficiency had a higher preeclampsia rate compared to women with replete VitD levels (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.39-1.79). Women with VitD deficiency had a higher preeclampsia rate compared to women with replete or insufficient VitD levels (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10-1.66). Women with insufficient VitD levels had a higher preeclampsia rate compared to women with replete VitD levels (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.24-1.66). Women with deficient VitD levels had a higher preeclampsia rate compared to women with replete VitD levels (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.05-2.14). Sensitivity analysis showed the results were stable after excluding any one of the included studies. In conclusion, our systematic review suggested that VitD insufficiency or deficiency was associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Automated summary

There is an association between vitamin D (VitD) status and the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy, with deficiency or insufficiency of VitD increasing the risk.