68% pregnant women in Kashmir face Vitamin D deficiency: Study claims

There is a dearth of information about Vitamin D status during pregnancy in India in general and in Kashmiri female population in particular.

During a recent study conducted at the Department of Endocrinology and Immunology of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, the researchers assessed the vitamin Dstatus in pregnant women in Kashmir and revealed that 68 percent pregnant women in the valley face Vitamin D deficiency.

For the study, the researchers enrolled 193 consenting pregnant women aged 18-40 with different occupations like teachers, housewives, professionals, and other working women. Also, women from both rural and urban areas were included in the study. All of these women were attending the antenatal clinic of the Gynaecology & Obstetrics Department of SKIMS over the study period of 18 months.

The findings suggested that only 18 percent pregnant women were having a Vitamin D sufficient status (serum 25[OH]D of 30ng/ml or more). Taking a cut-off value of 25 (OH) D of less than 20 ng/ml as Vitamin D deficiency, overall 68.5 percent of pregnant women were found to be Vitamin D deficient.

According to the doctors, during pregnancy, vitamin D deficiency has adverse health effects for both mother and the baby growing in her womb. Notably, the study team noticed that there is a dearth of information about Vitamin D status during pregnancy in India in general and in Kashmiri female population in particular.