Vitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency in Healthy Pregnant Women Living In Dhaka , Bangladesh

Background/Objectives: Optimal level of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25OHD) in serum (concentration above 30 ng/ml) is essential for protecting the health of the mother and the developing fetus. Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining proper bone structure, preventing infections, reducing the risk of premature birth and gestational diabetes. The aim of the study was to verify whether healthy pregnant residents of Dhaka, Bangladesh were low (deficient and insufficient) in vitamin D. Material and methods: The material consisted of 140 serum samples of different trimesters of pregnancy. The concentration of 25OHD was measured using the vitamin D total assay on Snibe Maglumi 1000 CLIA system (Diamond Diagnostics Inc., China). Results: The average serum 25OHD concentrations was 19.3ng/ml, with no statistically significant differences (chi-square value, χ 2 =0.562). The optimal levels of 25OHD (30-76ng/ml) were found in 5.7% of samples, insufficient amount or hypovitaminosis (20-30ng/ml) occurred in 31.4%, deficiency (less than 20ng/ml) in 60.7% and severely deficiency (less than 10ng/ml) in 2.1%. Conclusions: Vitamin D below the optimal level is a common occurrence during pregnancy and Bangladesh Government need to set the level of supplementation among pregnant women appears to be deficient and insufficient. Our data suggest that special attention should be paid to the problem of low vitamin D in pregnant women.