title: Micronutrient status of the besieged residents of Sarajevo: May 1993.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess micronutrient status indices in blood and plasma of subjects subjected to siege conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole blood and serum samples were taken from subjects, sampled from 30 clusters in four Municipal Areas of Sarajevo. The blood samples were flown, under appropriate refrigeration, to the UK for analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in besieged Sarajevo and laboratory analyses were carried out at Department of Clinical Chemistry, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and at Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  202 subjects, aged from 1 to 82 years were included in the sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum folate, ferritin, transferrin, retinol, retinol-binding protein, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, C-reactive protein, haemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume of blood were determined. Micronutrient status was assessed by comparison with a range of values derived from multinational data sets from both pathologically malnourished and normal subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Haemoglobin, ferritin, folate, retinol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol levels were lower in the Sarajevan sample than in normal reference populations. Serum alpha-tocopherol was low in children and adolescents while a low beta-carotene level probably reflected the scarcity of green vegetables. No consistent evidence of protein/energy deficits were detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data for retinol binding protein and transferrin, when considered in association with BMI and Z-score data, provided no significant evidence of protein-energy undernutrition. However, the prevailing food aid rations failed to maintain adequate reserves of several micronutrients, particularly iron, folate and vitamin D. The significance of low values for serum retinol and beta-carotene and of low serum alpha-tocopherol in children must be investigated further.
authors.affiliation: HANSA Unit, Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mardel
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hailey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahmutovic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broom
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Golden
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001798:Blood Proteins; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012737:Sex Factors; D014857:Warfare
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D005293:Ferritins