Vitamin A supplementation and increased prevalence of childhood diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
There is uncertainty over whether vitamin A supplementation reduces morbidity among children with subclinical deficiency of the vitamin. Hence a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of vitamin A supplementation on childhood morbidity was conducted among 11,124 children aged 6-83 months in the northwest of Haiti. After a random start, children were sequentially assigned by household units to receive either megadose vitamin A or placebo in three distribution cycles 4 months apart. 2 to 8 weeks after each administration of the vitamin A and placebo capsules, indicators of childhood morbidity were reassessed through interviews conducted in the homes of participating families. The vitamin A group was found to have an increased 2-week prevalence of all symptoms and signs of childhood morbidity assessed, including diarrhoea (rate ratio [RR] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.14), rhinitis (RR = 1.02, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.04), cold/flu symptoms (RR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.06), cough (RR = 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.11), and rapid breathing (RR = 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.27). The study shows an increased 2-week prevalence of diarrhoea and the symptoms of respiratory infections after vitamin A supplementation.
Stansfield
S K
SK
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Pierre-Louis
M
M
Lerebours
G
G
Augustin
A
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009974:Orthomolecular Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*
D014801:Vitamin A