Neonatal Hypocalcemia and its Association with Neonatal and Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency

Abstract

Background: In neonates, hypocalcaemia is a common metabolic manifestation. It is a potentially fatal condition, with reported prevalence varying according to gestational age, maternal and infant comorbidities, and perinatal factors.
Methods: All 100 new-borns admitted in the NICU, and having hypocalcaemia, defined as total serum Calcium <8mg/dl and ionic calcium <3mg/dl, during the study period, and whose parents have given informed consent
Results: The male predominance was seen in 58% and females were 42%. The male : female ratio was 1.38:1. Early onset of hypocalcaemia was seen in 83% of the cases of which Males were 59% and females were 41%. The mean gestational age was 36.27)
+ 1.99 and the mean birth weight was 2.46 + 0.65. The preterm neonates were 27 (32.53%) and term neonates were 56(67.46%)
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was found to be very prevalent in healthy term born infants. Vitamin D deficiency was observed in new-borns, and it was observed that this deficiency was attributed to early neonatal hypocalcaemia. However, the long-term effects of a vitamin D deficiency in childhood are unknown. The use of 25-OH cholecalciferol as a sensitive marker in both term and preterm new-borns is recommended. To prevent neonatal Vitamin D deficiency, mothers were given 1200 IU/day vitamin D supplements from the 12th gestational week to the 6th month of pregnancy.