Pregnant women with low vitamin D (e.g. asthmatics) were more likely to have infants with vitamin D problems (asthmatics)

Vitamin D status in pregnant women with asthma and its association with adverse respiratory outcomes during infancy.

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2018 Jan 5:1-6. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1419176. [Epub ahead of print]

📄 Download the PDF from Sci-Hub.tw via VitaminDWiki

Jensen ME1, Murphy VE1, Gibson PG2,3, Mattes J1,4, Camargo CA Jr5.

1 Priority Research Centre Grow Up Well, University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute , Newcastle , Australia.

2 Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine , John Hunter Hospital , Newcastle , Australia.

3 Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute , Newcastle , Australia.

4 Respiratory Department , John Hunter Children's Hospital , Newcastle , Australia.

5 Department of Emergency Medicine , Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA.

BACKGROUND:

Vitamin D may influence pregnancy and infant outcomes, especially infant respiratory health. This study aimed to examine vitamin D status in pregnant women with asthma, and whether higher vitamin D levels are associated with fewer adverse respiratory outcomes in their infants.

METHODS:

Pregnant women with asthma, recruited from John Hunter Hospital Newcastle Australia (latitude 33°S), had serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25(OH)D) measured at 16 and 35 weeks gestation. Infant respiratory outcomes were collected at 12 months by parent-report questionnaire. Mother-infant dyads were grouped by serum 25(OH)D during pregnancy: 25(OH)D < 75 nmol/L (at both time-points) versus 25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/L (at one or both time-points).

RESULTS:

In 52 pregnant women with asthma, mean serum 25(OH)D levels were 61 (range 26-110) nmol/L at 16 weeks, and 65 (range 32-116) nmol/L at 35 weeks, gestation. Thirty-one (60%) women had 25(OH)D < 75 nmol/L at both time-points; 21 (40%) had 25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/L at one or both time-points. Maternal 25(OH)D < 75 nmol/L during pregnancy was associated with a higher proportion of infants with "wheeze ever" at 12 months, compared with 25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/L (71 versus 43%, p = .04). Infant acute-care presentations (45 versus 13%, p = .02) and oral corticosteroid use (26 versus 4%, p = .03) due to "asthma/wheezing" were higher in the maternal group with 25(OH)D < 75 nmol/L, versus ≥75 nmol/L.

CONCLUSIONS:

Most pregnant women with asthma had low vitamin D status, which persisted across gestation. Low maternal vitamin D status was associated with greater risk of adverse respiratory outcomes in their infants, a group at high risk of developing childhood asthma.

PMID: 29303025 DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1419176