title: Maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy and neonatal health: evidence to date and clinical implications.
abstract: Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy have been associated with a plethora of adverse neonatal outcomes, including small for gestational age and preterm births, detrimental effect on offspring bone and teeth development, and risk of infectious diseases. Although most observational studies indicate a significant linear relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the above outcomes, some randomized controlled trials to date are inconclusive, mostly due to differences in study design and supplementation regimen. The currently available results indicate that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy reduces the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, dental caries of infancy, and neonatal infectious diseases such as respiratory infections and sepsis. This narrative review aims to summarize available trial results regarding the effect of low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy, in conjunction with neonatal outcomes on the field, with a discourse on the appropriate clinical approach of this important issue.
authors: First Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, AHEPA Hospital, Venizelou 34b, Pilea, PO Box 55535, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors: Spyridon N
authors: SN
authors: Karras
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, AlFaisal University, Riyadh, KSA.
authors: Hana
authors: H
authors: Fakhoury
authors: Ios and Coleman Medicina Futura Medical Center, Naples, Italy.
authors: Giovanna
authors: G
authors: Muscogiuri
authors: Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: William B
authors: WB
authors: Grant
authors: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors: Johannes M
authors: JM
authors: van den Ouweland
authors: Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
authors: Anna Maria
authors: AM
authors: Colao
authors: First Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors: Kalliopi
authors: K
authors: Kotsa
keywords: hypovitaminosis D; infectious diseases; pregnancy; preterm birth; small for gestational age