Vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy and the risk of developing cerebral palsy: A case-control study

To investigate whether maternal deficiency of vitamin D in early pregnancy increases the risk of cerebral palsy (CP) in offspring.

This registry and biobank-based case-control study consisted of mother-child pairs from Scania, Sweden. Cases (n = 322) were identified from a nationwide CP-register born between 1995 and 2014. Random population controls (n = 343) and preterm controls (n = 258) were identified from a birth registry. Serum samples taken during pregnancy were obtained from a biobank and 25(OH)D₃ concentrations were categorized into three groups: sufficient (≥ 75 nmol/L), insufficient (50-74.9 nmol/L), and deficient (< 50 nmol/L). Logistic regression was used to investigate associations between 25(OH)D₃ concentrations and CP. Separate analyses were completed among children born preterm and at term, as well as for subtypes of CP.

Deficiency of 25(OH)D₃ was not associated with a significantly higher risk of CP compared with sufficient values in the studied groups of all children (odds ratio [OR]: 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86-2.10), children born at term (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 0.89-2.44), and children born preterm (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.37-1.46).

No apparent association between 25(OH)D₃ and CP was observed; however, the relatively small sample size and reliance on a single vitamin D measurement may have limited the detection of modest effects.