Relationship between acute diarrhoea and low plasma levels of vitamin A and retinol binding protein Relação entre diarréia aguda e baixos níveis plasmáticos de vitamina A e proteína carregadora de retinol (RBP)

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Gustavo Velasquez-Melendez, Maria José Roncada, Julio Toporovski, Eliza T. Okani, Donald Wilson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 1996
• Subjects: Diarrhoea; Vitamin A; RBP; Hypovitaminosis A; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic; Aguda
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46651996000500008; https://doaj.org/article/cdd2e9a9fc1c41b6a98ef2ac3374ddf4

The objective of this study was to assess vitamin A status and association between acute diarrhoea and plasma levels of vitamin A through cross-sectional comparison in children. Plasma vitamin A was measured by colorimetric method of Neeld & Pearson and RBP by radial immunodiffusion technique. Seventy eight children (aged 18-119 months), 26 with current history of diarrhoea and 52 children as controls (outpatient from the Santa Casa de Misericórdia Hospital in metropolitan area of São Paulo City, Brazil) were studied. Children with history of diarrhoea showed significant low levels (mean ± s.e.) as compared to controls, vitamin A (15.87 ± 1.4 µg/dl vs. 21.14 ± 1.15 µg/dl, p < 0.007) and RBP (1.70 ± 0.2 mg/dl vs. 2.52 ±0.11 mg/dl). Multivariate logistic regression adjusted by sex, age, nutritional status and mother education revealed association between diarrhoea and inadequate levels of vitamin A and RBP. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o estado nutricional relativo a vitamina A e a associação entre diarréia e os níveis plasmáticos de vitamina A e RBP através de um estudo transversal. A vitamina A foi medida pelo método de Neeld & Pearson e RBP pela técnica de imunodifusão radial. Foram estudadas 78 crianças (com idades entre 18 e 119 meses), 26 com diarréia e 52 como controles, atendidas na consulta ambulatorial do Hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, da Cidade de São Paulo. As crianças com diarréia mostraram níveis significativamente mais baixos de vitamina A (15.87 ± 1.4 µg/dl vs. 21.14 ± 1.15 µg/dl, p< 0.007) e RBP (1.70 ± 0.2 mg/dl v.s 2.52 ± 0.11 mg/dl) quando comparadas com as do grupo controle. As análises de regressão logística mostraram associação entre diarréia e níveis inadequados de vitamina A e RBP ajustados pelo sexo, idade, estado nutricional e nível de educação materna.