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Category: Project

Description: Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common congenital anomaly, affecting 6-8 per 1000 live births and 10% of still births, remaining the leading cause of death from congenital anomalies. The causes of CHDs are largely unknown. Laboratory-based studies have suggested vitamin D could be important in cardiac development. However, little research has been performed in humans to explore associations between maternal vitamin D status and CHDs. The one study that has explored this research question used post-pregnancy vitamin D measures as a proxy for pregnancy measures, correctly acknowledging that a prospective study would be appropriate, but not feasible due to the low prevalence rate of the disease. Birth cohorts can recruit women during pregnancy and prospectively obtain information over time and if large enough, would be well-suited to studying maternal risk factors for CHDs. Here, we seek to explore associations of maternal vitamin D status and CHDs in the offspring using data from two UK birth cohorts: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort.