Vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women attending a tertiary care hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: Vitamin D deficiency was considered to be the sole cause of rickets and osteomalacia but now by the discovery that most tissues and cells in the body have vitamin D receptors and many tissues have enzymes that convert primary circulating form of vitamin D to its active form has provided new insight into the function of this vitamin. In different studies, its role has been highlighted in decreasing the incidence of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases