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1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Preterm Birth in African American and Caucasian Women

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Abstract

Vitamin (vit) D deficiency and preterm birth (PTB) are more prevalent among African American (AA) women compared to caucasian (Cau) women. Because vit D is important in regulating cell-mediated immune responses, vit D insufficiency or deficiency during pregnancy may enhance inflammation in pregnant women and increase the risk of PTB. In this study, circulatory levels of 25-hydroxy (OH) and 1,25-dihydroxy (OH)2 vit D were measured using chemiluminescence and radioimmunoassay techniques, respectively, in AA (n = 108) and Cau (n = 84) women who delivered at term and preterm. The results from this study suggest that the serum levels of the 25-(OH) vit D concentrations tend to decrease (P = .06) in the Cau women who delivered at preterm compared to those delivering at term. However, the 25-(OH) vit D levels in Cau and AA between term and preterm deliveries were not significantly different. The serum levels of 1,25-(OH)2 vit D were found to be significantly lower in AA women compared to Cau women (P < .02) at term, and in the Cau (P < .01) and AA (P < .04) women delivering at preterm compared to those delivering at term. One-way analysis of variance demonstrated that 1,25-(OH)2 vit D levels were significantly lower in participants delivering at preterm (<34 weeks and between 34 and 37 weeks) compared to those delivering at term (>37 weeks).These results suggest that low levels of serum 1,25-(OH)2 vit D are associated with PTB, and vit D can potentially be used as a novel diagnostic marker in the detection of PTB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Women’s Health Research, Meharry Medical College, 37208, Nashville, TN, USA

    Chandrasekhar Thota PhD & Ayman Al-Hendy MD, PhD

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Ramkumar Menon PhD

  3. Perinatal Research Laboratory, Centennial Hospital, Nashville, TN, USA

    Ramkumar Menon PhD & Stephen J. Fortunato MD

  4. Manship Research Facility, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Lina Brou MS

  5. RCMI Translational Research Network, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA

    Jae-Eun Lee DrPH

Authors
  1. Chandrasekhar Thota PhD
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  2. Ramkumar Menon PhD
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  3. Stephen J. Fortunato MD
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  4. Lina Brou MS
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  5. Jae-Eun Lee DrPH
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  6. Ayman Al-Hendy MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Chandrasekhar Thota PhD.

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Thota, C., Menon, R., Fortunato, S.J. et al. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Preterm Birth in African American and Caucasian Women. Reprod. Sci. 21, 244–250 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719113493513

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