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Systematic Review of Vitamin D and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.

Nutrients
January 1, 1970
Karen M O'Callaghan et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the association between low maternal vitamin D status and hypertensive disorders, including the protective effect of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation against preeclampsia.

Results Summary

The study found that combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation has a protective effect against preeclampsia, though evidence for vitamin D alone is conflicting due to heterogeneity in study designs and inconsistent data reporting. The risk of gestational hypertensive disorders appears higher at 25(OH)D concentrations below 50 nmol/L, but long-term safety data on dosing is lacking.

Population

Pregnant women at risk of hypertensive disorders.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
low maternal vitamin D status
increase
hypertensive disorders
maternal
-
increased risk
#1
combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation
decrease
preeclampsia
-
-
protective effect
#2
vitamin D
neutral
gestational hypertensive disorders
-
-
association
#3
25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L
increase
gestational hypertensive disorders
-
-
increased risk
#4
vitamin D status
neutral
all terms of hypertension in pregnancy
-
-
relationship
#5
Abstract

This narrative systematic review evaluates growing evidence of an association between low maternal vitamin D status and increased risk of hypertensive disorders. The inclusion of interventional, observational, and dietary studies on vitamin D and all hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is a novel aspect of this review, providing a unique contribution to an intensively-researched area that still lacks a definitive conclusion. To date, trial evidence supports a protective effect of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation against preeclampsia. Conflicting data for an association of vitamin D with gestational hypertensive disorders in observational studies arises from a number of sources, including large heterogeneity between study designs, lack of adherence to standardized perinatal outcome definitions, variable quality of analytical data for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and inconsistent data reporting of vitamin D status. While evidence does appear to lean towards an increased risk of gestational hypertensive disorders at 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L, caution should be exercised with dosing in trials, given the lack of data on long-term safety. The possibility that a fairly narrow target range for circulating 25(OH)D for achievement of clinically-relevant improvements requires further exploration. As hypertension alone, and not preeclampsia specifically, limits intrauterine growth, evaluation of the relationship between vitamin D status and all terms of hypertension in pregnancy is a clinically relevant area for research and should be prioritised in future randomised trials.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
FemaleHumansHypertension, Pregnancy-InducedPregnancyVitamin DVitamin D Deficiency
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations36
Citations/Year5.1
Relative Citation Ratio2.44
NIH Percentile80.1%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.89
Normalized Score0.67
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