Prevalence of Vitamin D De(cid:976)iciency among Pregnant Women
at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand
Kulthida Lusawat MD1, Sukree Soontrapa MD1, Srinaree Kaewrudee MD1
Affiliation :
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : Vitamin D is naturally being synthesized through the skin. However, low levels of vitamin D are commonly encountered
in pregnant women. Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy have been observed to be potentially related to some adverse maternal
and neonatal outcomes including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, preterm birth, neonatal hypocalcemia, poor
postnatal growth, and bone fragility.
Objective : To determine the prevalence of vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency and associated risk factors among pregnant Thai women.
Materials and Methods : Pregnant Thai women attending the antenatal care clinic at Srinagarind Hospital between August and
September 2015 were recruited. Trained interviewers used standardized questionnaires to elicit information of baseline
characteristics and factors potentially associated with vitamin D levels. Levels of vitamin D were measured the serum concentrations
of 25(OH)D and were classi(cid:976)ied as de(cid:976)iciency (<20 ng/ml), insuf(cid:976)iciency (20 to 34.99 ng/ml), and suf(cid:976)iciency (≥35 ng/ml).
Results : The present study recruited seventy-(cid:976)ive pregnant women. The mean age was 29.1 years (SD 6.0, range 13 to 42 years).
Forty-three women were found to have vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency (57.3%, 95% con(cid:976)idence interval [CI] 45.4 to 68.7). Vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency
was signi(cid:976)icantly more likely among primigravida women (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 7.26, 95% CI 2.23 to 23.67), pregnant women
that are 35 years old or older (adjusted OR 7.59, 95% CI 1.56 to 36.90), and those who had a sunlight exposure of less than 30
minutes per day (adjusted OR 4.26, 95% CI 1.22 to 14.90).
Conclusion : Even with abundant sunshine, vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency in pregnant Thai women was notably high (57.3%). Factors
associated with vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency included primigravida pregnancy, advanced age, and limited sunlight exposure.
Keywords : Vitamin D de(cid:976)iciency, Prevalence, Risk factors, Pregnant women
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