Vitamin D status in term newborn at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract EN

Vitamin D is required for normal bone growth and mineralization.

The aim was to determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in full term newborns.

Serum calcium, inorganic phosphorus, 25 (OH) vitamins D (25OHD), alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone levels were studied in 41 cord blood of full term newborns.

According to 25OHD levels in cord blood, the newborns were divided into three groups: Group I [25OHD <25 nmol/L, n=2], Group II [25OHD (25-50 nmol/L) n=9] and Group III [25OHD > 50 nmol/L, n=30].

There was no significant difference in the demographic characteristics between the three groups.

25OHD level declined significantly in Group I compared to Groups II and III with (p<0.01, p<0.000) and in Group II compared to Group III (p<0.000).

Meanwhile, calcium in Group II declined considerably compared to Group III with (p<0.05).

In all newborn, there was a significant positive correlation between creatinine and albumin (r=0.359, p<0.05) and inorganic phosphorus (r=0.324, p<0.05) and negative correlation between calcium and parathyroid hormone (r=-0.396, p<0.01).

We observed high prevalence of physiologically significant hypovitaminosis D among full tern newborns, the magnitude of which warrants further research.