title: Prevention and consequences of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant and lactating women and children: A symposium to prioritise vitamin D on the global agenda.
abstract: The Department of Nutrition for Health and Development of the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Executive Committee of the 18th Vitamin D Workshop (VDW), organised a joint symposium on the prevention and consequences of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and children, convening experts on vitamin D, clinicians and policy-makers. The overall aim was to identify priority areas for research and to discuss the need for global options for policy, with a focus on the prevention of rickets in infants and children and vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women. The scope and purpose were: (i) to present the WHO research strategy for health, addressing vitamin D-related public health problems and the process for the development of evidence-informed guidelines in general and how vitamin D interventions in diverse populations could be prioritised; (ii) to provide an overview of vitamin D status in children and pregnant and lactating women across the world; (iii) to review the health risks associated with vitamin D deficiency in children and in pregnant women and their offspring; (iv) to understand the aetiology of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and children; (v) to identify and interpret biomarkers to assess vitamin D status and to consider possible clinical and biochemical screening tools for determining the prevalence of nutritional rickets in at risk groups or communities; and (vi) to provide an overview of policies and recommendations on vitamin D across the world. The format of the symposium was a composite of comprehensive scientific presentations and a panel debate with international experts on WHO guidelines, nutritional rickets, nutritional policy and consequences of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy. This paper summarizes the content and outcomes of the panel debate.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research, UK. Electronic address: inez.schoenmakers@mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Inez
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schoenmakers
authors.affiliation: MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pettifor
authors.affiliation: Evidence and Programme Guidance, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Juan-Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Peña-Rosas
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lamberg-Allardt
authors.affiliation: Birmingham Children's Hospital, University of Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research, UK.
authors.forename: Kerry S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lips
authors.affiliation: McGill University and Shriners Hospital for Children, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Francis H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Glorieux
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, KU, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouillon
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007774:Lactation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012279:Rickets / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Lactation; Pre-eclampsia; Pregnancy; Rickets; Vitamin D requirements; Vitamin D status