• Maeve Smith, Eileen C O'Brien, Goiuri Alberdi, Aisling A Geraghty, Mark Kilbane, Malachi J McKenna, and Fionnuala M McAuliffe.
• UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2020 May 1; 189 (2): 563-570.

BackgroundVitamin D status may play a role in the development of atopic diseases due to its action on lung development and immune system development and function.AimsOur objective was to assess whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels in maternal blood in pregnancy were associated with atopy in children.MethodsWe analysed 279 mother-child pairs from the ROLO study conducted in Dublin, Ireland. Serum 25OHD was measured at 13 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Development of childhood atopy was self-reported by mothers at follow-up appointments at 6 months, 2 years or 5 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between maternal 25OHD status and development of atopy.ResultsThe mean (SD) 25OHD levels in early and late pregnancy were 41.9 (19.2) nmol/L and 40.2 (21.6) nmol/L, respectively. Maternal 25OHD status in early pregnancy, but not in late pregnancy, was associated with a reduced risk of atopy at 2 years (OR 0.972, CI 0.946-0.999). In early pregnancy, those with serum 25OHD levels < 30 nmol/L compared with those with 25OHD > 50 nmol/L had significantly greater risk of developing atopy at 2 years (OR 4.76, CI 1.38-16.47).ConclusionsThe development of childhood atopy may be associated with maternal vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy among a cohort of women at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Further research is required to explore the relationship between vitamin D and atopy, particularly among women with poor vitamin D status, and whether supplementation should be prioritised in early pregnancy to reduce childhood atopy.

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