Low maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration increases the risk of severe and mild preeclampsia.

Purpose: The objective of this case-cohort study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and preeclampsia overall and by severity.
Methods: From an eligible cohort of 12,861 women who had serum banked from aneuploidy screening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2010, we randomly sampled a subcohort of 2327 pregnancies and all remaining preeclampsia cases (n = 650 cases). Preeclampsia (defined as new-onset hypertension and proteinuria) and its mild and severe forms were identified using ICD-9 codes. Maternal serum collected at 20 weeks or less gestation was measured for 25(OH)D. We used log-binomial regression with restricted cubic splines to estimate the association between 25(OH)D and preeclampsia after adjusting for confounders.
Results: Approximately 21% of the randomly selected sample had 25(OH)D less than 50 nmol per L. We found that the adjusted risk of preeclampsia declined as serum 25(OH)D increased to 50 nmol per L and then plateaued (test of nonlinearity P < .05). The adjusted preeclampsia risk ratios (95% confidence intervals) for 25(OH)D less than 25 nmol per L, 25 to 49.9 nmol per L, and 50 to 74.9 nmol per L were 2.4 (1.2-4.8), 1.1 (0.69-1.7), and 1.3 (0.89-1.8), respectively, compared with those with 25(OH)D 75 nmol per L and over. Similar associations were observed with severe and mild preeclampsia.
Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency increases risks of severe and mild forms of preeclampsia.
(Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)