Tear production in vitamin A-responsive xerophthalmia.
Schirmer tests showed decreased tearing (less than 15 mm of wetting) in 32 of 54 eyes (59%) of a representative group of patients with corneal xerophthalmia but in only four of 60 eyes (7%) of age-, sex-, and neighborhood-matched controls (P less than .001). The occurrence of decreased tearing was directly related to protein status: eight of 18 eyes (44%) of children with serum transferrin levels below 50 mg/100 ml but only 13 of 62 eyes (21%) of children with higher levels produced less than 15 mm of wetting (P less than .01). Among otherwise well-nourished children, the occurrence of decreased tearing was directly related to the severity of xerophthalmia and thus to vitamin A status. We found decreased tearing in eight of 86 eyes (9%) of a group of unpaired controls, in nine of 38 eyes (24%) of children with conjunctival xerosis, and in 17 of 62 eyes (27%) of children with corneal involvement (P less than .01).
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000503:physiopathology; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*
D014168:Transferrin; D014801:Vitamin A