Zinc serum levels and their association with vitamin A deficiency in preschool children.
To identify the prevalence of zinc deficiency in a population with high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency; to verify whether zinc deficiency is associated with vitamin A deficiency in the population studied; to verify risk factors for zinc deficiency (sex, age, diarrhea and fever).



Cross-sectional study of 182 healthy children aged > or = 24 months and < 72 months. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from fasting children to determine zinc serum levels. Information about presence of diarrhea and/or fever during the 15 days preceding the study was also obtained. Vitamin A deficiency was identified by a serum 30-day dose-response test (+S30DR).



Of the children studied, 0.5% (1/182) presented zinc serum levels < 65 microg/dL; however, 74.7% (136/182) of them had vitamin A deficiency. Zinc serum levels were not correlated with retinol serum levels. Zinc serum levels were not changed by previous diarrhea and/or fever. There was no difference in zinc levels between boys and girls. Children aged between > or = 48 and < 60 months tended to have lower zinc serum levels than children of other ages.



Zinc deficiency prevalence was low and did not represent a risk factor for vitamin A deficiency. Children aged between > or = 48 and < 60 months tended to have lower zinc serum levels than children of other ages. Zinc serum levels were not changed by previous diarrhea and/or fever.
Ferraz
Ivan S
IS
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. isferraz@fmrp.usp.br
Daneluzzi
Júlio C
JC
Vannucchi
Hélio
H
Jordão
Alceu A
AA
Ricco
Rubens G
RG
Del Ciampo
Luiz A
LA
Martinelli
Carlos E
CE
Engelberg
Alexander A D'Angio
AA
Bonilha
Luis R C M
LR
Custódio
Viviane I C
VI
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003967:Diarrhea; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*
D015415:Biomarkers; D015032:Zinc