title: Xerophthalmia and growth in preschool Indonesian children.
abstract: Approximately 4000 preschool children in West Java, Indonesia, were examined for xerophthalmia and weighed and measured at 3-mo intervals from March 1977 to December 1978. Children recovering from xerophthalmia over a 3-mo interval gained an average of 124 g (95% CI 42-206) more over 3 mo than normal children. Their height gain was similar to normal children's. Children who developed xerophthalmia during a 3-mo period gained 199 g (95% CI 114-313) less and grew 0.28 cm (95% CI 0.12, 0.44) less than their normal peers. Children with chronic xerophthalmia gained 120 g (95% CI 49-191) less and grew 0.21 cm (95% CI 0.05-0.37) less than normal children. These data suggest that linear and ponderal growth is adversely affected by chronic and incident xerophthalmia, but that catch-up ponderal growth is experienced by children recovering from xerophthalmia.
authors.affiliation: Indonesian Nutritional Blindness Prevention Project, Bandung.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tarwotjo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tielsch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D015430:Weight Gain; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*