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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Preeclampsia is a dangerous condition for pregnant women, often forcing women to deliver prematurely to protect her health and the baby's. Now, new research reveals women who don't get enough vitamin D early in their pregnancy may be at a higher risk of developing preeclampsia.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences compared blood samples taken throughout the pregnancies of 55 women with preeclampsia and 220 women without the condition. Investigators tested these blood samples, as well as umbilical blood from the newborns, for vitamin D levels.
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Low vitamin D levels early in pregnancy are associated with a five-fold increase in the risk of preeclampsia, report study authors. "Even a small decline in vitamin D concentration more than doubled the risk of preeclampsia," senior study author James M. Roberts, M.D., was quoted as saying. "And since newborn's vitamin D stores are completely reliant on vitamin D from the mother, low vitamin levels also were observed in the umbilical cord blood of newborns from mothers with preeclampsia."
Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy. Women with the condition experience very high blood pressure, which puts them at great risk. As the leading cause of premature delivery and maternal and fetal illness and death worldwide, preeclampsia causes 76,000 deaths each year.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, published online Sept. 7, 2007
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