Extreme Vitamin D Deficiency In Jordanian Newborns

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in selected Jordanian full-term newborns and risk factors associated with low levels. Methods: Newborn infants were prospectively enrolled during spring and summer months during 2010. Newborns >37 weeks of age and those born within 96 hours at Al Bashir Hospital in Amman, Jordan were included. Demographic information for newborns and their mothers were collected including child’s birth date, child’s birth weight, average daily number of hours mother spends outdoors, mother’s clothing practice, and smoke exposure. Blood samples were obtained from infants by heel stick, placed on filter paper, and then sent to ZRT Laboratory for vitamin D [25(OH)D] measurement. Results: A total of 1,692 (825 males and 867 females) out of 2,009 newborns enrolled met inclusion criteria. The mean gestational age was 39.86 weeks, with a median birth weight of 3.2 kg. The mean age of the mothers was 27.41 years. The majority (87.6%) of mothers...