Antenatal micronutrient support is essential for a healthy child

Adequate intake of macro- and microelements during pregnancy meets the growing needs of a female organism and lays the basis for a child’s health. According to the World Health Organization, in malnutrition or chronic health conditions (i. e. gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, hypo-thyroidism etc.) in a pregnant woman, additional intake of essential micronutrients is required. Cochrane Reviews demonstrate that multivitamin supplements reduce the occurrence of intrauterine growth restriction and low birthweight. Zinc is a microelement whose adequate intake is of crucial importance. Mild zinc deficiency manifests as recurrent respiratory infections, taste and smell loss, night blindness, impaired spermato-genesis, and (sometimes) mild psoriasis-like dermatitis. Severe zinc deficiency is characterized by more often respiratory infections and more severe skin conditions (e. g., acrodermatitis with erythematous, squamous, vesicular bullous, or pustular rash in perioral and perianal areas), alopecia, persistent diarrhea, stomatitis, and glossitis, growth and developmental delay, and various psychoneurological disorders.Keywords: pregnancy, newborn, infant, vitamin mineral supplement, microelements, zinc, atopic dermatitis, deficiency.For citation: Borovkova E.I., Zaplatnikov A.L., Zhdakaeva E.D. Antenatal micronutrient support is essential for a healthy child. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2020;3(2):77–82. DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2020-3-2-77-82.