Vitamin A deficiency among children in a periurban South African settlement.
Preschool children (aged 3-6 y) who were living in an informal settlement within metropolitan Durban, South Africa, were assessed for vitamin A status. The serum retinol concentration of 169 children tested was 0.73 +/- 0.26 mumol/L (mean +/- SD). Nine children (5%) had vitamin A deficiency (< 0.35 mumol/L) and 75 children (44%) had low vitamin A concentrations (< 0.70 mumol/L). Conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) in 185 children revealed that 18% had poor vitamin A status as defined by two abnormal conjunctival specimens. The CIC test was a feasible and reproducible method; however, it correlated poorly with the traditionally accepted serum retinol threshold of deficiency in this population where overt vitamin A deficiency is not prevalent. This survey demonstrated that regardless of the measurement tool, there is a prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency in this typical periurban informal settlement and accordingly we suggest that these children should be targeted for vitamin A-intervention strategies.
Coutsoudis
A
A
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Natal, Congella, South Africa.
Mametja
D
D
Jinabhai
C C
CC
Coovadia
H M
HM
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
D014801:Vitamin A