Vitamin D Deficiency Is Common Among HIV-Infected Breastfeeding Mothers in Pune, India, but Is Not Associated With Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

Abstract

A recent report from Tanzania demonstrated an increased risk of being HIV infected or of dying at birth among children born to breastfeeding mothers with low baseline vitamin D levels. We conducted a nested case-control study among HIV-infected pregnant women in western India to confirm the association between maternal vitamin D levels and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were common among HIV-infected pregnant women, but were not associated with mother to child HIV transmission at 1 year postpartum (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.66; 95% CI, 0.30-1.45; P = .30).

Keywords:

• Vitamin D deficiency
• HIV/AIDS
• India
• infant mortality
• insufficiency
• perinatal infection
• pregnancy
• maternal-child health
• transmission