70 per cent of pregnant women in UAE risk health issues due to vitamin D deficiency: study

The average vitamin D levels of the mothers-to-be was 26.2 but doctors say they should ideally have levels between 50 and 125.

Dr Fady Hachem, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, says insurer cover for testing is not comprehensive. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // Almost 70 per cent of pregnant women in the UAE suffer from vitamin D deficiency, a condition linked to poor pregnancy outcomes and low birth weight, a study has found.

The study, Risk Factors for Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency within the United Arab Emirates, found that the average vitamin D levels of the mothers-to-be was 26.2. Doctors say pregnant women should ideally have levels between 50 and 125.

Published in the Journal of Pregnancy and Child Health, the study surveyed 1,088 women, Emiratis and expatriates, and found that more than nine out of 10 women were at risk of having low vitamin D.

Vitamin D levels lower than 40 in pregnant women have has been associated with children suffering from low birth weight and short stature.

Dr Fady Hachem, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, said that up to 70 per cent of his pregnant patients suffer a vitamin D deficiency.

“There are vitamin D receptors in many organs and if a pregnant woman has low vitamin D, she has high risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, low birth weight, risk of caesarean section, low calcium in newborns and even increased risk of autism,” said Dr Hachem.

Dr Izzeldin Hussein, professor and regional coordinator at Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition in the UK, worked on the study.

“Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women may affect the women as well as their unborn children. The deficiency could lead to bone loss, osteomalacia,” the professor said. “Most studies of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy have shown negative effects on the (unborn) child, eg: the occurrence of congenital rickets and lower bone mineral content. It also affects the maternal weight gain and foetal growth.”

Low vitamin D before and immediately after birth can also lead to a greater risk in later life of multiple sclerosis, cancer, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and schizophrenia for both the mother and child.

Infants of mothers with or at high risk of vitamin D deficiency are also at risk of the deficiency.

It is estimated that 6.1 per cent of newborns in the UAE have a low birth weight.

Dr Hussein believes the study “came at the right time to draw more attention to this serious public health problem affecting the mother and child health”.

“This study will ensure that any future interventions will be based on evidence-based data that the findings and outcomes of this study provided,” he said.

“More studies will be required first to track the progress made on elimination of this deficiency and, secondly, to develop a surveillance system to follow up on the intake of vitamin D supplements and the fortification of food with vitamin D.”

The study was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Westminster University in UK, Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research, the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition in London and Zayed University.

The study concluded that “intervention strategies including supplementation, fortification and dietary diversity must be implemented”.

Out of the 12 districts included in the study, women from Sabka had the lowest vitamin D levels, at 19.4, while women from Mushrif were found to have the highest vitamin D levels, at 34.6. The average age of the women surveyed was 28.

Mrs A, a 30-year old Filipino living in Abu Dhabi, was found to have low vitamin D in her first trimester. She had no idea about it and is now taking vitamin D and calcium supplements.

“I was advised by the doctor on the risks associated with vitamin D deficiency. I make sure to expose myself to the sun for 10 to 15 minutes per day, early morning, before 8am, as I go to work,” said the mother-to-be.