Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency Among Women of Reproductive Age: A Multi Centric Study in Tehran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Iranian women of reproductive age. Methods: In this multicentric cross-sectional study, 300 women aged 15 - 45 years referring to Tehran branch of Islamic Azad university hospitals from 2013 to 2015 were recruited. The collected data included the demographic characteristics of the participants, including age, body mass index (BMI), parity, and serum level of vitamin D. Serum levels of 25-dihydroxy vitamin D were measured by radioimmunoassay. Vitamin D was defined as deficient < 20 nmol/L, mild ≥ 25 nmol/L, moderate 12.5 - 25 nmol/L and severe ≤ 12.5 nmol/L. Statistical analysis was performed, using Excel software. Results: Among the 300 patients, 257 cases had vitamin D deficiency; among whom, 122 cases had severe, 96 had moderate and 38 had mild deficiency. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, only 14.8% of the study population had normal serum vitamin D levels, indicating that the majority of Iranian women in the reproductive age have vitamin D deficiency.