Takeaway
- Women with low serum vitamin D levels (<20 ng/mL) were at higher risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs) during pregnancy.
Why this matters
- The prevalence of UTI during pregnancy is high.
- Findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be useful for the prevention of UTIs.
Study design
- Case-control study included 97 pregnant women with UTIs (case group) and 90 healthy pregnant women (control group).
- Vitamin D levels were classified according to recent Clinical Guidelines Committee as follow:
- deficiency (<20 ng/mL),
- insufficiency (21-29 ng/mL), and
- sufficiency (30-100 ng/mL).
- Funding: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Key results
- Vitamin D deficiency was reported in 85.7% of case group and 52.2% of control group
- Pregnant women with UTIs had significantly lower serum vitamin D levels compared with the control group (12.7±5.9 vs 26.05±10.37 ng/mL; P<.001).
- Serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in pregnant women with UTIs and acute pyelonephritis vs those with Cystitis (11.06±7.53 vs 13.94±5.44 ng/mL; P=.020).
- After adjustment for confounders, low serum vitamin D level (<20 ng/mL) was significantly associated with the increased risk for UTIs in pregnant women (adjusted OR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.19-6.24; P<.001).
Limitations
- Possibility of inaccuracy in responses regarding the frequency of sexual intercourse by participants.
References
References