FREQUENCY OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN PREGNANCIES WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a universal health problem, particularly pregnancies, and in which there is poor maternal and fatal outcomes. This research report indicated that half of the pregnant women who were gesture diabetic mellitus (GDM) were vitamin D deficient and another quarter were deficient. The findings agree with the past studies that have reported high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in GDM patients and prevalence rates ranging between 21 and 76 percent in disparate populations. The geographic location variation could be attributed to this wide scope which is due to exposure to sunlight, nutrition and the standards of vitamin D deficiency. Objective: To determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus. Methodology: The research was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot from July 2025 to October 2025. The non-probability consecutive sampling gave a sample of 179 pregnant women diagnosed of GDM according to the WHO 75-g OGTT criteria. The women were enrolled at the age of 20- 45 years; singleton with 24-38 weeks of pregnancy. The results of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels were calculated using SPSS 25.0 and a value of less than 20 ng/ml was considered as deficiency. When calculating the frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, these were calculated. Stratification followed by chi-square with value of p 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Among 179 patients, the mean maternal age was 29.4 ± 4.8 years and mean gestational age was 30.6 ± 3.2 weeks. Vitamin D deficiency was observed in 102 (57.0%) patients, while 41 (22.9%) had insufficient levels and 36 (20.1%) had sufficient levels. A significant association was observed between obesity and vitamin D deficiency (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is a highly prevalent cause in the case of pregnancy with GDM. Major maternal and mortality cases can be characterized by screening and appropriate supplementation at a young age.