Serum Levels of Asymmetric and Symmetric Dimethylarginine in Women with Vitamin D Deficiency and History of Pregnancy Loss – A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be associated with pregnancy loss. Asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethyl-L-arginine (SDMA) are arginine analogues that have direct and indirect effects on nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and endothelial dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate ADMA and SDMA levels among women with history of pregnancy loss compared to women without history of pregnancy loss and all participants were suffering from vitamin D deficiency. METHODS: To investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and ADMA and SDMA, both groups of women were experiencing vitamin D deficiency. All women enrolled in this study had a vitamin D level below 75 nmol/L and were not pregnant. ADMA and SDMA levels were investigated in 28 women without a history of pregnancy loss and 19 women with a history of pregnancy loss. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in ADMA and SDMA levels among the two groups. The correlation analysis showed that vitamin D deficiency was not significantly inversely correlated with ADMA and SDMA in women without a history of pregnancy loss, but was significantly correlated with SDMA in women with a history of pregnancy loss. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency, in women with or without a history of failed clinical pregnancies, has no effect on the circulating levels of ADMA and SDMA. Further studies are needed to investigate any possible link between these parameters.