title: Vitamin A status of young Gambian children: biochemical evaluation and conjunctival impression cytology.
abstract: A pilot study was conducted to examine the vitamin A status of Gambian pre-school children by conventional biochemical means and to evaluate the use of conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) in the detection of subclinical vitamin A deficiency. Children were examined on three occasions to coincide with periods of low and high carotene intakes. Plasma retinol and beta-carotene showed highly significant seasonal changes that reflected the seasonal fluctuations in dietary vitamin A. A high prevalence of low plasma retinol levels suggested that vitamin A deficiency may be a public health problem in this community. Underlying infection and vitamin A instability may have contributed to the low plasma retinol levels and given an overestimate of the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. Seasonal changes in conjunctival impression cytology were not significant. Abnormal CIC results showed no clear association with plasma beta-carotene or retinol.
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nathanail
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Powers
mesh_terms: D001669:Biochemical Phenomena; D001671:Biochemistry; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005714:Gambia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012621:Seasons; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood*; D019207:beta Carotene
chemical_list: D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids