title: High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant Korean women: the first trimester and the winter season as risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
abstract: We investigated the vitamin D status of Korean women during pregnancy and assessed the effects of vitamin D deficiency on two pregnancy outcomes; preterm births and the births of small for gestational age. We measured the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 220 pregnant Korean women who were recruited prospectively and compared these levels with those of 500 healthy non-pregnant women. We analyzed vitamin D status according to patient demographics, season, and obstetrical characteristics; moreover, we also assessed pregnancy outcomes. The overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency(<20 ng/mL) in pregnant women and healthy non-pregnant women was 77.3% and 79.2%; respectively; and the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL) was 28.6% and 7.2%; respectively (p < 0.05). Vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent in the winter (100%) than in the summer (45.5%) in pregnant Korean women. A higher risk of vitamin D deficiency was observed in the first trimester than in the third trimester (adjusted OR 4.3; p < 0.05). No significant association was observed between vitamin D deficiency and any of the pregnancy outcomes examined. Further research focusing on the long-term consequences of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy in Korean women is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. rihwa.choi@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Rihwa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Team, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. seonwoo1.kim@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Seonwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Center, Samsung Medical Center, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. heejin.yoo@sbri.co.kr.
authors.forename: Heejin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. yoonung2.cho@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Yoon Young
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. sunwooksmc.kim@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Sun Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. jaeh.chung@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Jae Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Seoul, Korea. ohsymd.oh@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Soo-young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. sy117.lee@samsung.com.
authors.forename: Soo-Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2 / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000208:ethnology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015652:25-Hydroxyvitamin D 2; D002112:Calcifediol
keywords: Korea; mass spectrometry; nutrition; pregnancy; vitamin D