A systematic review of association between vitamin D levels and pre-eclampsia in pregnant womens - An old problem revisited

Abstract

The beneficial effects of sunlight in preventing bone-related disorders have been well-known for centuries. Vitamin D is a modified steroid, synthesised under the influence of sunlight in the skin. Low Vitamin D status has associated with a higher risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnant womens. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review of different studies investigating the association between Vitamin D levels and pre-eclampsia in pregnant womens. A systematic review was undertaken. MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, Google Scholar were searched. The review protocol was designed to answer the question. Search terms (Preeclampsia and Vitamin D or 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D). The search was confined to peer-reviewed articles that were published in English and contained an abstract. Reference list of journal articles were also screened for additional citations fitting our search criteria. Twenty Seven studies were included in the systematic review that investigates the association between Vitamin D and pre-eclampsia. The present systematic review concludes that maternal vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is significantly associated with an elevated risk of preeclampsia. Pregnant womens should take vitamin D supplementation, expose themselves into the sunlight, and they should be physically active. Further taking Vitamin D supplementation in early pregnancy may be a simple way to reduce the risk of these adverse pregnancy outcomes.