Vitamin D nutrition in pregnant Nigerian women at term and their newborn infants.

Abstract

SUMMARY In view of the high incidence of rickets in infants of women practising purdah (the use of veils) in northern Nigeria we conducted a study on plasma calcium, phosphate, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OHD) concentrations in pregnant Nigerian women and in cord blood obtained from the newborns. Plasma calcium, phosphate, and serum 25 OHD concentrations were lower in practising women and their newborns than those not practising purdah and their infants, respectively. The concentrations of 25 OHD in all Nigerian woman were greater than those observed in caucasian women in the United Kingdom. These data emphasise the role of exposure to sunshine in regulating serum 25 OHD concentrations and the adverse effect of deliberate exclusion of sunshine and are consistent with previous data indicating hypovitaminosis D in purdah clad women and their newborns in Saudi Arabia. These data do not, however, provide an explanation for the pathogenesis of the high incidence of neonatal rickets and -tetany in infants born of purdah clad woman as these women have 25 OHD concentrations greater than those in caucasian women in the United Kingdom.The religious practice of purdah (the use of veils by women) has recently been shown to be associated with a high prevalence ofvitamin D malnutrition in women in Saudi Arabia. ' 2 As infants of Muslim women practising purdah in northern Nigeria are known to develop neonatal tetany and congenital rickets3'4 whereas infants of non-purdah women do not present with such problems, we examined the possibility that the practice of purdah may cause vitamin D malnutrition in Nigerian women. This is important as hypovitaminosis D during pregnancy is related to the occurrence of myopathy and pathological fractures in women' and neonatal tetany and rickets in infants.68 It may also be associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism in neonates.9 As expected, women practising purdah and their infants had noticeably lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OHD) concentrations than those who did not and their newborns. Despite this difference the concentrations of 25 OHD in these women were appreciably greater than those found in caucasian and Asian women in the United Kingdom. These observations raise some important and fundamental questions about the pathogenesis of the high incidence of rickets in infants of women practising purdah in Nigeria.Accepted for publication 23 January 1986 Material and methods Twenty non-Muslim non-purdah woman and 10Muslim women who had been kept indoors in purdah throughout their pregnancies were included in this investigation. The blood samples were obtained from women attending the Universities of Ilorin, Benin, and Ife Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria. A clear history of having been confined in purdah before and during pregnancy was obtained from these women; most of them had been covered in thick dark dresses and veils during the pregnancies. Detailed information obtained from the mothers included dietary and religious practices, confinement in purdah, family history of ...

High prevalence of vitamin D and calcium deficiency among pregnant women and their newborns in Chengdu, China

“…[13,14] Cord blood 25(OH)D strongly correlated with maternal values. [15][16][17][18] Lee et al [19] reported that although a majority of mothers received a daily prenatal multivitamin, vitamin D deficiency was found in 50% of them and in 65% of their newborn infants; thus there is a positive correlation between maternal and infant plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. The cut-off values for hypovitaminosis D in neonates is still being debated.…”

Sunlight exposure and development of rickets in Indian toddlers

“…13 Women who are house bound and live in crowded localities and dark alleys, with coveredup style of clothing and veil (purdah), are at higher risk of developing vit D deficiency. 14 Bhatia et al have reported high prevalence of physiologically significant hypovitaminosis D among pregnant women and their newborns from northern India. 3 Teotia et al have suggested that women and children residing in the northern parts of India are more likely to be vit D deficient due to NorthSouth gradient of the solar ultraviolet radiations (UVR-B 219-315 nm) and the striking angle of UVR on the skin, which is believed to be narrow and of shorter duration.…”

Maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and risk of advanced beta cell autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in offspring

“…The process leading to the destruction of the beta cells might be initiated even before birth [10], therefore the effect of early environmental determinants in utero may be of crucial importance. Because maternal vitamin D intake and status during pregnancy affect neonatal vitamin D status [11][12][13], the former is an important area to study when searching for factors potentially involved in the development of type 1 diabetes.…”