Premium
Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women from a non‐European ethnic minority population—an interventional study
Author(s) -
Datta S.,
Alfaham M.,
Davies D.P.,
Dunstan F.,
Woodhead S.,
Evans J.,
Richards B.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01171.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vitamin d and neurology , ethnic group , vitamin d deficiency , pregnancy , incidence (geometry) , vitamin , population , obstetrics , prospective cohort study , pediatrics , gynecology , endocrinology , environmental health , physics , sociology , biology , anthropology , optics , genetics
Objective To determine the vitamin D status of pregnant women from non‐European ethnic minorities in South Wales. Design Prospective study. Setting Llandough Hospital, Cardiff, South Wales. Sample One hundred and sixty pregnant women from a non‐European ethnic minority population in South Wales. Methods Biochemical screening of vitamin D status was carried out at the first antenatal visit. Women found to be deficient in vitamin D were subsequently supplemented and vitamin D status was rechecked at delivery. Main outcome measure Vitamin D status at delivery. Results Eighty of 160 women had a vitamin D level below 8 ng/mL at their first antenatal visit and were treated with oral vitamin D. Factors that could influence vitamin D status such as religion, fluency in English and dressing habits did not appear to have any effect, although a higher proportion of women who had lived in Britain for longer than three years had subnormal vitamin D levels. In 58 of those checked at delivery, the mean plasma vitamin D level increased from 6 to 11 ng/mL although the mean parathyroid hormone level was unchanged. Conclusion In view of the high incidence of subnormal vitamin D levels in women from ethnic minorities, we recommend biochemical screening of these women in early pregnancy, with subsequent supplementation where indicated.