Correlation of prenatal vitamin D deficiency and neonatal urinary tract infection

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infection during pregnancy and different age groups of children, including the neonatal period. It comprises 1/3 of bacterial infections in newborn infants, with a prevalence of 0.1-1% in term and 4-25% in preterm neonates. UTI occurs more commonly in male neonates (M/F: 2-6/1) for the higher incidence of structural abnormalities (1,2). Urinary tract anomaly is found in about 20-50% of infants with UTI. UTI rarely occur during the first 3 days of life, and urine culture is not routinely recommended for the evaluation of early onset sepsis (3). Appropriate serum vitamin D level is important for the prevention of multiple infections during pregnancy, including UTI. Maternal serum vitamin D has a negative correlation with UTI (4,5). The role of maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy as a risk factor of neonatal UTI remains controversial. Objectives: This review study was performed to evaluate the correlation between maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and neonatal UTI for the early diagnosis and prevention of its complications.