title: Vitamin A status in early childhood diarrhoea, respiratory infection and in maternal and cord blood.
abstract: Serum vitamin A levels were estimated in (i) 125 rural children (0-36 months old) with diarrhoea, and/or acute lower respiratory tract infection and (ii) 61 pregnant rural women and their off-springs. Mean serum vitamin A levels were 127.3, 112.1 and 94.0 mu g/dl, respectively, in diarrhoea, acute lower respiratory infection, and in children having both the illnesses. These levels were lower than the control (148.0 mu g/dl). However, level <20 mu g/dl diagnostic of deficiency was not observed in any child. The malnutrition and duration of illness over 4 days significantly decreased the mean serum vitamin A level. The vitamin A levels of children who died were not significantly different than those who recovered. The maternal mean levels of serum vitamin A were higher than the cord levels, both being within normal range.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000097:blood*; D012423:Rural Health; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A