Vitamin A deficiency among Brazilian school-aged children in a healthy child service.
OBJECTIVE
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a world public health problem contributing to the increase in childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries and severe deficiency of vitamin A may lead to xerophthalmia and blindness. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of VAD among Brazilian school-aged children attended at a primary health unit and to verify if some considered risk factor was associated with VAD in this group.


METHODS
A descriptive prospective transverse study was conducted on 103 randomly selected children. A total of 54 boys and 49 girls aged 5.5-11 years had the relative dose-response (RDR) test performed on. Possible ocular alterations related to vitamin A and the status of anemia, serum zinc, some acute-phase proteins, and anthropometric situation were determinate by an analytic design.


RESULTS
No child presented xerophthalmia. Serum retinol values lower than 1.05 and 0.7 micromol l(-1), respectively were found in 26.2 and 5.8% of the children. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis detected by RDR test was 20.4%. The following variables and their relationship with VAD were evaluated: sex (P=0.33; 95% confidence interval 0.61-4.34), weight and height (P> or =0.5), hemoglobin (P=0.15), C-reactive protein (P=0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.75-18.26), alpha-1-acid-glycoprotein (P=0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.15-15.42) and serum zinc (P=0.31). None of these variables was related to VAD.


CONCLUSIONS
In this population, the prevalence of VAD detected could be considered a public health problem. School-aged children can be considered at risk for VAD mainly of a subclinical level, even without some associated risk factors.
Custodio
V I C
VI
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. cimadas@uol.com.br
Daneluzzi
J C
JC
Custodio
R J
RJ
Del Ciampo
L A
LA
Ferraz
I S
IS
Martinelli
C E
CE
Ricco
R G
RG
Cupo
P
P
Hering
S E
SE
Meirelles
M S S
MS
Vannucchi
H
H
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000097:blood*; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000453:epidemiology
D014815:Vitamins; D014801:Vitamin A