title: Vitamin a deficiency and anaemia in young children living in a malaria endemic district of western Kenya.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin A deficiency makes children vulnerable to infections and influences the outcome of various infections. In 1993 vitamin A deficiency was found to be a public health problem in Bungoma district of western Kenya.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, anaemia and malaria parasitaemia and to correlate these with haemoglobin, ferritin and acute phase response.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bungoma district of western Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and three children aged one to three years were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum retinol, haemoglobin, serum ferritin, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, C-reactive protein and malaria parasite density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twentynine percent of the children had severe vitamin A deficiency, 92% had anaemia (haemoglobin less than 10 g/dl) 24(7%) of these were severely anaemic while 76% had malaria parasitaemia. There was no significant difference in the retinol levels of children with malaria parasitaemia and those without malaria parasitaemia (P = 0.6). Retinol levels were significantly lower among children with high C-reactive protein (P < 0.001). Malaria parasitaemia negatively correlated with haemoglobin (r = -0.13, P < 0.05) and C-reactive protein (r = 0.21, P < 0.01). There was no difference in haemoglobin level of children with normal serum retinol and those with low serum retinol (P = 0.16). Ferritin did not differ significantly among children with normal haemoglobin and those with low haemoglobin (P = 0.13).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin A deficiency and anaemia are a public health problem among the children studied. The high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency may have resulted from acute phase response induced by infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health and Paediatrics, Moi University, P.O. Box 4606, Eldoret, Kenya.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Nabakwe
authors.forename: W Van M
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Lichtenbelt
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ngare
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wierik
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Westerterp
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Owino
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D002097:C-Reactive Protein