Maternal and Neonatal Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with an Increased Risk of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Omran, Ahmed; Abd El Wahab, Radwa; Zekry, Osama

doi:10.22038/ijp.2024.70701.5199

Maternal and Neonatal Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with an Increased Risk of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Document Type : original article

Authors

Ahmed Omran

Radwa Abd El Wahab

Osama Zekry

Departments of Pediatrics & Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

10.22038/ijp.2024.70701.5199

Abstract

Background: Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) remains a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Neonates are at a significantly high risk of vitamin D deficiency. Maternal and neonatal vitamin D deficiency is associated with multiple neonatal diseases including HIE. This study aims to explore the possible association between maternal and neonatal 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) levels and HIE in full-term infants and it attempts to find whether there is any relationship between vitamin D level and the clinical severity of HIE.
Methods: This case-control study included 25 full-term neonates with HIE and their mothers along with 25 healthy neonates and their mothers. The level of serum (25-OHD) of the infants and their mothers was measured in the first 6 postnatal hours of the infants by isotope dilution ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The severity of HIE was assessed depending on the clinical scoring system.
Results: Neonatal and maternal levels (25-OHD) were significantly lower in the study group compared with those of the control group. Neonatal (25-OHD) levels were significantly lower with increasing severity of HIE (p=0.005), but they did not follow the same order in the maternal (25-OHD) levels (p=0.96); i.e., a negative correlation was detected between neonatal (25-OHD) level and severity of HIE (r = − 0.66, P < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between neonatal and maternal (25-OHD) levels in the study group (r = 0.697, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Lower maternal and neonatal vitamin D levels were associated with HIE in full-term infants and the level of vitamin D was inversely associated with the clinical severity of HIE. Further studies are needed to examine the causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and HIE in neonates.

Keywords

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

maternal

neonatal

hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

vitamin D deficiency

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