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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

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Vitamin D Deficiency Increases the Risk of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in Gestational Diabetes

Letícia Schwerz Weinert1, Angela Jacob Reichelt2, Leonardo Rauber Schmitt3

  • 1Postgraduate Program in Endocrinology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Plos One
|October 21, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) significantly increases the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes, including hypoglycemia and small for gestational age (SGA) newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Neonatology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and vitamin D deficiency are linked to adverse perinatal outcomes.
  • The combined impact of GDM and vitamin D deficiency on neonatal outcomes requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the influence of vitamin D deficiency on neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by GDM.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 184 pregnant women with GDM underwent 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurement.
  • Vitamin D deficiency was defined as < 20 ng/mL.
  • Neonatal outcomes were assessed until puerperium.

Main Results:

  • Infants born to mothers with vitamin D deficiency showed higher rates of ICU admission (32% vs 19%), hypoglycemia (17.3% vs 7.1%), and were more often small for gestational age (SGA) (17.3% vs 5.9%).
  • Adjusted analysis revealed increased risks for ICU-requiring hypoglycemia (RR 3.63) and SGA (RR 4.32).
  • No significant differences were observed in prematurity, jaundice, or shoulder dystocia rates.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D deficiency in GDM pregnancies is associated with a substantial increase in adverse neonatal outcomes.
  • Neonatal hypoglycemia and SGA are significantly more prevalent in infants of mothers with GDM and vitamin D deficiency.
Abstract

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