Effects of Vitamin D on Health Promotion During Pregnancy and Its Impact on Prematurity-Related Outcome

Summary

The VitDTracking study focuses on the relevance of maternal vitamin D levels and their association with prematurity, aiming to improve maternal and child health outcomes, particularly by reducing avoidable preterm births. In Portugal, vitamin D levels during pregnancy have never been studied. Epidemiological data from other countries reveal a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency, especially in pregnant women.

The hypovitaminoses prevalence remains high even with a supplementation dosage of 400 to 600 IU/day during pregnancy (dosage used in Portugal), which is considered as a suboptimal dose. This phenomenon is associated with adverse maternal and child outcomes, such as intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia, cholestasis, hypertension, and gestational diabetes as major causes of prematurity.

Additionally, the Portuguese population has a higher prevalence of genome alterations that confer a lower capacity to produce vitamin D from sunlight exposure. These genetic characteristics are present in about 19% of the population, representing a prevalence four times higher than the European average (19% versus 4.75%), leading to a higher predisposition to vitamin D deficiency.

Conditions

• Vitamin D Deficiency
• Pregnancy

Interventions

OTHER

Exposure

Maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Comprehensive Health Research Center

  collaborator OTHER

• Unidade Local De Saúde Do Norte Alentejano

  collaborator OTHER

• Unidade local de Saúde do Baixo Alentejano

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Unidade Local de Saúde do Alentejo Central

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Universidade Nova de Lisboa

  collaborator OTHER

• Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores - Inovação e Desenvolvimento de Lisboa (INESC-ID)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Évora

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maria OP Barbosa, MSc; PhD student · University of Évora

• Dulce Cruz, PhD · University of Évora

• André Rosário, PhD · Universidade Nova de Lisboa

• Marta Silvestre, PhD · Universidade Nova de Lisboa

• Ana T Freitas, PhD · Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores - Inovação e Desenvolvimento de Lisboa (INESC-ID)

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-11-03

Primary Completion

2024-12-31

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• Portugal

Study Locations