title: Multiple sclerosis and vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both pregnancy and high vitamin D concentration seem to generate a protective environment against multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses. Longitudinal case-control analysis of vitamin D concentrations during pregnancy and lactation of MS mothers is lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 levels of MS patients during and after pregnancy and compare these to the levels measured in healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen relapsing-remitting MS mothers underwent repeated testing for 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 at 10-12, 26-28 and 35-37 gestational weeks and 1, 3 and 6 months post-partum. An identical series of samples was collected from six control mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/l) during pregnancy was high (73%) among MS patients. Vitamin D levels were significantly higher during pregnancy when compared to early post-partum values among MS patients. At the end of the follow-up period, the vitamin D levels returned to levels observed in early pregnancy. In healthy controls, the alterations during and after pregnancy were similar in nature, but the vitamin D concentrations were higher at all time points when compared to MS patients (P = 0.037).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency during the pregnancy and lactation seems to be common in mothers with MS and needs to be treated adequately.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jalkanen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kauko
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Turpeinen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hämäläinen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Airas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000097:blood*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: lactation; multiple sclerosis; post-partum; pregnancy; vitamin D