Vitamin D Deficiency With Selected Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Gestational Hypertension

This study aim to look into the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among Malaysian pregnant women and its associated risk factors. Subsequently, vitamin D deficient women with and without gestational hypertension will be investigated for their genetic variation to look for the association of VDR genetic variation and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Inclusion Criteria:Malay pregnant women with gestational age between 20 weeks till 42 weeks. (The gestational age will be determined from the first day of the last menstrual cycle or measurement of fetal crown rump length)Malay pregnant women with viable pregnancy with or without pregnancy induced hypertension or its complications (pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome etc).Literate in either English or Malay languages.Agreement to follow-up till delivery and provision of written informed consent.Exclusion Criteria:Non-viable pregnancy at the time of recruitment.Women already on vitamin D supplements or any other drugs that can interfere with vitamin D absorption or metabolism at the time of recruitment.Women with chronic hypertension diagnosed prior to pregnancy.Pregnant women with any other chronic disease that is known to affect vitamin D such as, autoimmune disease and any malignancy