Significance of very low retinol levels during severe protein-energy malnutrition.
In developing countries, severe vitamin A deficiency is associated with increased child mortality. In Kivu, Zaïre, child mortality rate is approximately 50 per 1000 per year and protein calorie malnutrition is endemic. To evaluate vitamin A status in this population, we measured plasma retinol levels in 28 severely malnourished hospitalized children (plasma albumin level below 3 g/dl), and in 153 outpatients (mean plasma albumin level: 3.19 +/- 0.7 g/dl) as controls. Sixty percent of inpatients and 37 percent of out-patients had retinol levels below 10 micrograms/dl (P = 0.02) suggesting a high prevalence of severe vitamin A deficiency in this population. We found that plasma retinol levels were correlated with low retinol binding protein plasma levels (r = 0.77). We conclude that although vitamin A deficiency probably exists in this malnourished population, low retinol levels could at least partly be related to decreased levels of its carrier protein.
Goetghebuer
T
T
Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Brussels, Belgium.
Brasseur
D
D
Dramaix
M
M
DeMol
P
P
Donnen
P
P
Bahwere
P
P
Duchateau
J
J
Hennart
P
P
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*
D015415:Biomarkers; D014801:Vitamin A