Vitamin D deficiency at the time of delivery - Prevalence and risk of postpartum infections.

Abstract

BackgroundPostpartum infections are a common cause of morbidity after childbirth. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk for several infections in a non-pregnant population. Vitamin D deficiency has been described as common in pregnant women.ObjectiveTo investigate whether vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in labor was associated with an increased risk of overall postpartum infectious morbidity within eight weeks of delivery. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women in Linköping, Sweden at the time of delivery.Material and methodsSerum vitamin D levels in labor were analyzed for 1397 women. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum levels ResultsFifty eight per cent of the women had serum vitamin D levels ConclusionsVitamin D deficiency was more common than previously reported in Swedish pregnant women. No association between vitamin D deficiency and postpartum infections was found. Other well-known risk factors for postpartum infection were identified.