Vitamin A deficiency and protein-energy malnutrition in a sample of pre-school age children in the Kivu Province in Zaire.
OBJECTIVE
To assess pre-school age children's vitamin A status in a population where protein-energy malnutrition is endemic and serum retinol binding protein and transtyretin concentrations are low.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Health district of Katana, South-Kivu, Zaire.


METHODS
415 pre-school age children.


METHODS
Three methods were used to assess vitamin A status: ophtalmological examination, retinol serum concentration and Relative Dose Response (RDR) test.


RESULTS
The only ophthalmological signs of vitamin A deficiency appeared in two cases of night blindness, which represents a prevalence of 0.7%. Deficient serum retinol concentration (< 0.35 mumol/l) was found in 19.7% of the whole study population and in 10.4% of non-infected children in good nutritional status. RDR test carried out on a reduced sample of 79 subjects was abnormal for 7.6% of the children but showed a low sensitivity when compared with serum retinol concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
This survey suggests that in this population of the South-Kivu Province in Zaire, vitamin A deficiency co-exists with protein-energy malnutrition and is a public health problem even with non-malnourished and non-infected children.
Donnen
P
P
School of Public Health, Free University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium.
Brasseur
D
D
Dramaix
M
M
Vertongen
F
F
Ngoy
B
B
Zihindula
M
M
Hennart
P
P
D000886:Anthropometry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009755:Night Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D014801:Vitamin A