Relationship between vitamin D consumption during pregnancy and neonatal congenital heart disease

Article type: Original article Background and Aim: Interactions between genetic and environmental factors, including modifiable maternal nutrition and lifestyle, play a significant role in the pathogenesis of most congenital heart defects (CHD). This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between periconceptional maternal vitamin D status and the prevalence of CHD in offspring. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 660 neonates referring to Masoumeh Hospital, Qom, Iran, from April 2016 onwards. The subjects were divided into two groups of CHD and healthy patients. The instrument applied to collect the necessary data was a research-made checklist including demographic data and risk factors related to the study, which was filled by mothers. Independent t-test and Chi-square test were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative variables, respectively. A logistic regression test was also utilized, and the p-value of less than 0.05was considered significant. Results: The mean age of mothers was obtained as 30 years in both groups. It was revealed that 94 (28.5%) and 159 (48.2%) of mothers in the case and control groups consumed Vitamin D in pregnancy. There was a significant difference between vitamin D intake and CHD in the two groups(p<0/001). The economic status of 53.3% of families with CHD patients was reported to be low. According to the results, 70.6% of mothers in the case group were highly educated. Conclusion: Based on the results, vitamin D consumption during pregnancy was associated with the reduction of neonatal CHD. Moreover, economic status was found as another risk factor affecting the development of neonatal CHD. Article History: Received: 23 August 2020 Revised: 10 December 2020 Accepted: 25 December 2020