Neonatal Vitamin A Deficiency and Its Impact on Acute Respiratory Infections among Preschool Inuit Children

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Public Health
• Main Authors: Cameron, Cynthia, Dallaire, Frédéric, Vézina, Carole, Muckle, Gina, Bruneau, Suzanne, Ayotte, Pierre, Dewailly, Eric
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Springer International Publishing 2008
• Subjects: Article; Canada; Nunavik; inuit
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6975672/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457282; https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405454

OBJECTIVE: To assess if vitamin A concentration in umbilical cord blood is associated with incidence and severity of respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children from Nunavik (Québec, Canada). METHOD: The medical charts of 305 children were reviewed from 0 to 5 years of age. The association between vitamin A concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and hospitalization rates for LRTIs was evaluated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Compared to children with vitamin A concentration >-20 μg/dl, adjusted rate ratios (RR) for children below 20 μg/dl ranged between 1.06–1.62 for AOM, 1.12–1.34 for LRTIs, and 1.09–1.43 for hospitalization for LRTIs. Most RRs were statistically significant for AOM and LRTIs, but not for hospitalization for LRTIs. CONCLUSION: Neonatal vitamin A deficiency appears to be a significant risk factor for AOM and LRTIs in this population.