Effect of maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy on neonatal kidney size.

Background And Aims: In animal studies, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with a decrease in nephron number and kidney weight of the offspring. At present, it is unclear whether these observations are pertinent to humans. Thus, this study was performed to assess the vitamin A status of a cohort of Egyptian pregnant women and their newborns and to determine the potential effect of maternal VAD during pregnancy on the neonatal kidney size.