title: [Plasma levels of vitamin A, carotenoids and retinol binding protein in children with acute respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases].
abstract: The present study was carried out in order to assess the plasma levels of vitamin A, carotenoids and retinol binding protein (RBP) of three-hundred and eleven children aged from seven months to eleven years, who had a history of upper respiratory infection (URI), pneumonia and diarrhoea. The children were resident in the urban area of the Municipality of S. Paulo, Brazil, and were seen at the pediatric service of the one school-hospital. The data show that plasma vitamin A (microgram/dl) and RBP (mg/dl) levels in the diarrhoea (15.2 micrograms/dl; 1.7 mg/dl) and pneumonia (15.2 micrograms/dl; 0.7 mg/dl) groups were lower (p < 0.05) than those observed in the control (18.8 micrograms/dl; 2.6 mg/dl) and URI (19.0 micrograms/dl; 2.4 mg/dl) groups. The plasma carotenoid levels were lower in all groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). These findings corroborate the results that show low levels of vitamin A in circulation during period of infection.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrição da Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Velasquez-Melendez
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Okani
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kiertsman
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Roncada
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000886:Anthropometry; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids
vernacular_title: Níveis plasmáticos de vitamina A, carotenóides e proteína ligadora de retinol em criańças com infecções respiratórias agudas e doenças diarréicas.