Serum Vitamin D Levels in Term Neonates with Early Onset Sepsis

Background: Neonatal sepsis is one of the commonest causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Despite recent advances in risk assessment and prevention for neonatal sepsis, it remains a significant global health burden. Among these, vitamin D deficiency has been proposed as one of the risk factors for neonatal sepsis. Objective: To measure and compare the vitamin D levels in term neonates with early onset sepsis (case) group and control group. Methods: Hospital-based case control study conducted between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2016 at Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and Maternity Wards I, II and III of Central Women Hospital, Mandalay, Myanmar. Forty term neonates with early onset sepsis and 40 healthy term neonates were included. Cord blood vitamin D levels were measured in both case group and control group. Results: In early onset sepsis group, all 40 cases of cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were deficient (<20 ng/ml). In control group, 26 (65%) cases were deficient (<20 ng/ml) and 1 (2.5 %) were sufficient (≥ 30ng/ml) and 13 (32.5%) were insufficient (20-30 ng/ml). Cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of sepsis infants (Mean ± SD of 9.82 ±2.65) were significantly lower than those of the control group (Mean ± SD of 18.47 ±4.37) (p <0.001). Conclusion: Cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of neonates with early onset sepsis were significantly lower than those of the healthy controls. Further studies are needed to establish low level of cord blood vitamin D as a risk factor for EONS.