Maternal/neonatal vitamin D deficiency: a risk factor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterms?

Objective:the objective of this study was to investigate the possible association between maternal/neonatal 25-hydroxy vitamin d (25-ohd) levels and development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.study design:one hundred and thirty-two preterm infants ⩽32 weeks of gestation who were diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome were enrolled. 25-ohd levels were determined in maternal/neonatal blood samples that were obtained at the time of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.result:a total of 100 infants were included and 31 (31%) developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (bpd). both maternal and neonatal 25-ohd levels in the bpd group were significantly lower compared with those in the no-bpd group (p=0.0001). a positive correlation was detected between maternal and neonatal 25-ohd levels. all of the infants with bpd had a 25-ohd level <10 ng ml−1, which represented severe deficiency. univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal/neonatal vitamin d levels were a significant predictor of bpd (odds ratio (or): 0.76 and 0.61, respectively, p<0.001).conclusion:we demonstrated for the first time that lower maternal and neonatal vitamin 25-ohd levels were associated with bpd development in preterm infants. however, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to delineate the possible link between vitamin d deficiency and bpd.