Low Vitamin D During Pregnancy Linked To Pre-eclampsia

Vitamin D deficiency early in pregnancy is associated with a five-fold increased risk of pre-eclampsia, reports a new study. A complication of pregnancy marked by soaring blood pressure, pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and fetal illness and death. Pre-eclampsia affects up to 7 percent of first pregnancies, and health-care costs associated with pre-eclampsia are estimated at $7 billion a year in the United States alone.