comparison of serum vitamin d in the umbilical cord of survived with not survived premature infants

Background: vitaminddeficiency is associated with prematurity, respiratory problems and infections. these are important causes of death in premature neonates. objectives: the aim of this study was to compare the vitamin d level in the blood of preterm live neonates discharged with those neonates who did not survive. methods: in a cross-sectional study, 335 premature infants (less than 34 weeks of gestation) were discharged and 48 infants died. we examined their umbilical cord blood for vitamin d. results: eighty-eight percent of our premature neonates had vitamin d deficiency. the mean of vitamin d in the survived neonates was 14.87±10.94 and in thosewhosuccumbed their prematurity it was 9.4±6.52 ng/ml (p< 0.01). there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the type of delivery, apgar score of first and fifth minutes, duration of oxygen therapy and gestational age (p < 0.05). conclusions: the results of this study showed that most premature neonates have a severe vitaminddeficiency, and this deficiency wasmorepronounced in the dead neonates than in those that survived, despite eliminated the role of gestational age. measurement of cord blood vitamin d level may help predict the prognosis for premature neonates.