Vitamin D, low birthweight preterm and full-term newborns: time for a paradigm shift

This article discusses negative effects of vitamin D deficiency on low birthweight preterm and full-term newborns. Results of the studies on vitamin D provision to pregnant women and their newborn children are addressed. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in pregnant women and newborns. It was demonstrated that inadequate antenatal provision of a fetus with vitamin D may result in congenital rickets and neonatal seizures due to hypocalcemia in newborns and also accounts for increased rates of necrotic enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dys-plasia, and impaired growth and development as well as higher risk of lower respiratory tract infections (i.e., bronchiolitis, pneumonia) during the first year of a child’s life. In addition, it was shown that persistent vitamin D deficiency in future years may be associated with recurrent respiratory infections, allergic (e.g., atopic dermatitis, asthma, etc.), autoimmune, endocrine, and psycho-neurological disorders. Preventive and therapeutic strategies for vitamin D deficiency in low birthweight preterm and full-term newborns since neonatal period are discussed.Keywords: vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency, calcidiol, low birthweight newborn, preterm newborn, full-term newborn.For citation: Zakharova I.N., Mal’tsev S.V., Zubkov V.V. et al. Vitamin D, low birthweight preterm and full-term newborns: time for a paradigm shift. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2020;3(2):142–148. DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2020-3-2-142-148.