Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation during pregnancy may reduce risk of Rickets among infants: Study

A recent study conducted in Bangladesh highlights the crucial role of maternal vitamin D supplementation to prevent infantile rickets in regions lacking routine infant vitamin D supplementation. This secondary analysis published in the Pediatrics journal revealed strong findings regarding the dosage and timing of vitamin D supplementation.

In low- and middle-income countries where routine infant vitamin D supplementation is not standard practice, the concerns regarding infantile rickets have remained. Rickets is a softening and weakening of bones in children that leads to serious health complications if left untreated. And so, Maria-Elena Lautatzis and colleagues investigated the impact of maternal vitamin D supplementation on infantile rickets risk.

The study included a total of 1300 pregnant women who were randomized into various groups receiving different doses of vitamin D supplementation or placebos. The supplementation regimens ranged from 4200 IU to 28,000 IU per week and was administered from the second trimester of pregnancy until delivery and continued postpartum.

Also, the infants born to these women underwent biochemical screening for rickets between 6 to 12 months of age. The results were promising, that among the 790 infants screened, approximately 4.9% were diagnosed with biochemical rickets. Which observed the highest prevalence of rickets in the placebo group, at 7.8%.

However, infants born to mothers who received a high dosage of vitamin D supplementation (28,000 IU/week) during the third trimester of pregnancy until 6 months postpartum expressed a significantly lower risk of developing biochemical rickets. The risk was reduced to just 1.3% in this group by highlighting the potential efficacy of this supplementation regimen.

Infants whose mothers received only prenatal supplementation at varying doses showed no significant difference in rickets risk when compared to the placebo group. These findings underline the importance of both the dosage and timing of maternal vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of infantile rickets. The outcomes of this study emphasize the need for further investigation to determine the optimal dosage and duration of postpartum vitamin D supplementation, especially during lactation. These findings have significant implications for public health policies in regions where infantile rickets remains a concern. Overall, the study illuminates the critical role of maternal vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of infantile rickets in regions without routine infant supplementation programs.

Reference:

Lautatzis, M.-E., Keya, F. K., Al Mahmud, A., Tariq, U., Lam, C., Morris, S. K., Stimec, J., Zlotkin, S., Ahmed, T., Harrington, J., & Roth, D. E. (2024). Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation and Infantile Rickets: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial. In Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-063263