Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy may affect fetal thymus development.
Ginekol Pol. 2016;87(5):378-83.
Gur EB1, Gur MS, Ince O, Kasap E, Genc M, Tatar S, Bugday S, Turan GA, Guclu S.
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, İzmir, Turkey. esrabaharg at yahoo.com.
Clipped from the PDF
- “. . we did not investigate the association between fetal weight and fetal thymus measurements.”
- Note: they excluded from the study “20 patients who were diagnosed pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm labour or PPROM” – who typically have low vitamin D
- "Within the thymus, T cells or T lymphocytes mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts specifically to foreign invaders."
- "The thymus is largest and most active during the neonatal and pre-adolescent periods."
- "Allergy results from an inappropriate and excessive immune response to common antigens. "
See also VitaminDWiki
- Allergy - Overview many of which occur before the thymus decreases in size with age
The items in Autoimmune and Infant-Child are listed here:
- Perhaps getting Vitamin D as infant decreases risk of Autoimmune Diseases as adult
- Breastfeeding a child without adding vitamin D increases risk of many food allergies (egg whites in this case) – Jan 2020
- Antibiotics increased the risk of asthma by 47%, and allergies by 25% - Dec 2019
- Low vitamin D newborns getting cows milk formula more likely to get allergies – RCT Oct 2019
- Childhood allergies (Atopy) 4.8 X more likely if low vitamin D in early pregnancy – Aug 2019
- Kawasaki disease (strawberry tongue) not treated by occasional 400 IU of Vitamin D – Feb 2019
- Food allergy is linked to season of birth, sun exposure, and vitamin D deficiency – Jan 2019
- Childhood Food Allergies (UK 1 in 14) – huge recent increase (low vitamin D) - Dec 2018
- Food allergies are associated with Vitamin D thru genes, etc. – March 2018
- Food allergies in children may be due to earlier low Vitamin D, Omega-3 and Zinc – Aug 2017
- T1 Diabetes associated with many other autoimmune diseases (all related to low vitamin D) – May 2017
- Infant allergy to cow’s milk will go away if have high levels of vitamin D – Jan 2017
- Food allergies and low vitamin D – thymus may be the connection – June 2016
- Food allergies 6 times higher in South Australia - 2009
- Hypothesis – Australia has highest rate of food allergy due to avoiding the sun – Sept 2015
- Food allergy 12X more likely if low vitamin D and vitamin D binding gene problem – Aug 2015
- Too much vitamin D: 1 pcnt increase in infants with food allergy, too little: 500 pcnt increase in children with food allergy - Aug 2015
- Kawasaki disease (strawberry tongue) associated with very low vitamin D – May 2015
- Less sun (less vitamin D) more anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) – June 2014
- Low vitamin D at birth associated with later milk sensitization, allergic rhinitis and asthma – Nov 2014
- Pink eye (seasonal allergic conjunctivitis) associated with low vitamin D and high vitamin E – March 2014
- 11X more non-immigrant children allergic to peanuts if vitamin D less than 20 ng – Feb 2013
- 30 to 40 ng of vitamin D associated with the least peanut allergy – Nov 2012
- High level of maternal vitamin D and infant food allergy – controversy
- Youths with autoimmunity disorders were 2.3 X more likely to be vitamin D deficient – July 2012
- Still unsure of association between vitamin D and asthma and allergies – review April 2012
- Allergy - Overview
- 3X more allergy to peanuts if child born with low UV – Feb 2011
- More childhood allergies when vitamin D is less than 15 ng – Feb 2011
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
OBJECTIVES:
The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during pregnancy with thymus size in full-term fetuses.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
In this prospective study, we evaluated mid-pregnancy serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) concentrations. The fetal thymus size was measured by ultrasound in the third trimester. Neonatal 25(OH)D3 levels were evaluated by umbilical cord blood sampling. Correlation of maternal and neonatal vitamin D levels and association between thymus size and both, maternal and neonatal vitamin D concentrations were investigated.
RESULTS:
Serum 25(OH) D3 concentrations were within the normal range in 48 (29.8%) mothers and 10 (13.1%) new-borns. A strong correlation between mid-pregnancy maternal and neonatal 25(OH)D3 concentration (r = 0.8, p < 0.001) was found. A significant linear correlation was observed between both, maternal and neonatal 25(OH)D3 concentrations and thymus perimeter length (r = 0.45, p = 0.04 and r = 0.43, p < 0.01, respectively). Both, maternal and fetal VDDs were associated with decreased thymus perimeter (p = 0.04, p = 0.03).
CONCLUSIONS:
Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may be associated with smaller fetal thymus. Our data suggest that VDD in pregnancy may lead to systemic inflammatory response in the fetus.
PMID: 27304655