title: Maternal serum vitamin D levels in pregnancies complicated by neural tube defects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The association between vitamin D deficiency and abnormal neural development has been proposed previously. We aimed to evaluate maternal serum vitamin D levels in pregnancies complicated by neural tube defects (NTDs) and compared them with healthy pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 60 pregnant women were included in this controlled cross-sectional study. Thirty of the patients whose pregnancies were complicated by meningocele, meningomyelocele, encephalocele, anencephaly and fetal acrania constituted the study group, whereas 30 normal pregnant women constituted the control group. The main parameters recorded for each woman were as follows: age, body mass index (BMI), gestational week (GW), gravidity, abortion, co-morbidities, dressing style, consumption of milk and dairy products and serum levels of 25(OH)VitD3, calcium, albumin and total protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean maternal serum 25(OH)VitD3 level was 6.2 ± 5.0 ng/ml in the study group and 9.1 ± 7.3 ng/ml in the control group (p: 0.071). The mean maternal serum calcium level was statistically significantly higher in the control group, and calcium-rich dietary intake was also more common in this group (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of age, BMI, GW, dressing style and serum levels of albumin and total protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency is common among pregnant women, and maternal serum calcium levels were lower in pregnancies complicated by NTD than healthy pregnant women. Larger further studies are required to evaluate the effects of calcium-rich dietary sources or vitamin D and calcium in the development of NTDs.
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Korkut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Daglar
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Aytekin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tokmak
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kirbas
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Irfan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Guzel
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Kudret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Erkenekli
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Aykan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yucel
authors.affiliation: a Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Uygur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Calcium; calcium-rich dietary; neural tube defects; vitamin D