Low Vitamin D Tied to Risk for Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women

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Purity's Blood Spot Testing Kit

Women had a 40 percent reduced risk for severe preeclampsia if their vitamin D level was higher than 50 nmol/L.

Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) February 06, 2014

A study that will be published in Epidemiology has discovered that low vitamin D levels in pregnant women may increase their risk for severe preeclampsia.

The study looked at preserved blood samples of 3,703 women who were at an average of 21 weeks gestation. Over half of the women had a vitamin D level that is considered insufficient by the National Institute of Health, and 717 of those women had mild to severe preeclampsia.

Researchers found that after putting in controls for body mass index, race, socioeconomic status and other considerations, women had a 40 percent reduced risk for severe preeclampsia if their vitamin D level was higher than 50 nmol/L.

This month, Purity Laboratories, Inc., (Purity) will be launching an innovative, new kit – the Vitamin D Blood Spot Testing Kit – that will make it easier and more efficient to ascertain a person’s vitamin D status.

Women who are concerned about their vitamin D levels should speak with their healthcare provider about being tested. Purity’s new vitamin D test can be ordered online and used from home. The kit contains all of the tools necessary to perform the test: instructions, two lancets, a spot saver card, an alcohol prep pad, a surgical sponge and a latex-free bandage. A requisition form and prepaid return envelope are also included. When the test is complete, it is placed into the prepaid envelope along with the test requisition form and mailed back to Purity. Results are then sent directly to whoever ordered the test within 5 to 10 business days.

This is a convenient option for patients who are unable to receive testing in the doctor’s office, including children, the elderly and those who are homebound.

Understanding how vitamin D works has prompted healthcare professionals to look more closely at a person’s vitamin D levels, and many clinicians have started screening individuals who may have an increased risk for deficiency. Purity’s testing kit is easy, accurate and economical, and it provides doctors with an inexpensive and less invasive way to screen at-risk groups, including the elderly, the obese, those with darker skin tones and people who live in cloudy or otherwise dark climates.

More information, including pricing and how to purchase a kit, will be available soon.

Contact:
Kulani Mahikoa
V.P. Marketing
Purity Laboratories, Inc.
Telephone: 503-694-1600

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