Vitamin A status in children with asthma

Abstract

Low vitamin A levels have been found in a number of diseases in children. The aim of this study was to examine the vitamin A status in children with asthma and to correlate the changes with severity of disease. Serum levels of vitamin A, retinol-binding protein (RBP), and albumin were estimated in 35 asthmatic children (24 males) in the age group of 2-12 years (mean 5.89 years) and 29 controls (19 males). Both study and control groups were similar with respect to age, sex, and overall nutritional status. Twenty-four children in the study group (68.6%) had moderate to severe persistent asthma and eight children had mild persistent asthma. Only three patients suffered from mild intermittent asthma. Vitamin A levels in children with asthma (mean +/- SD 22.14 +/- 5.38 microg/dl) were found to be significantly lower than their controls (mean +/- SD 27.54 +/- 4.83 microg/dl) (p = 0.0001). Age, age of onset of asthma, and gender had no correlation with serum vitamin A levels. Low serum vitamin A levels (< 20 microg/dl) were observed four times more commonly in the study group (28.6%) than controls (6.9%). Severity of asthma had a negative correlation with serum vitamin A levels (r = - 0.61, p = 0.0001). Children with severe persistent asthma had markedly low serum vitamin A levels (mean +/- SD 13.42 +/- 5.19 microg/dl) as compared with mild intermittent asthma (mean +/- SD 24.61 +/- 2.32 microg/dl). Therapeutic trials are needed to prove whether low vitamin A levels contribute to asthma severity and the clinical utility of vitamin A supplementation in asthmatic children.

Serum Levels Of Antioxidant Vitamins (vitamin A, C, D) And Magnesium In Children With Allergic Rhinitis

“…Additionally, vitamin A includes features such as anti-inflammatory, antiinfective and antioxidant effects. [11,12] As a consequence of increasing number of cells during the repair of damaged tissues and continuing inflammation, a lack of vitamin A may occur. [13] On respiratory syncytial virus and measles infections, there is evidence of lack of vitamin A.…”

“…[12,15,16] There are also several studies exhibiting normal vitamin A levels and some others exhibiting low vitamin A levels. [11,12,15,16] Kompauer et al [17] showed low vitamin A level in the adults with AR. According to the literature search of the last ten years on children, there is no study on the relationship between AR and vitamin A level.…”

Interaction of Asthma and Nutrition: Review

“…Bu nedenle, üst solunum yollarında A vitamini düzeyinin eksikliği mukus ve bazal hücrelerin ço-ğalmasını azaltmaktadır. 12 Vitamin; karaciğer ile organ etleri, yağlar, yumurta, balık ve sütte bulunduğu için astım durumunda bu besinleri yeterli miktarda tüketmeye özen gösterilmelidir. 13 Yapı-lan bir çalışmada, astım hastası çocukların serum A vitamini düzeylerinin kontrol grubuna göre daha düşük olduğu gösterilmiştir.…”

“…11 Astımı olan çocuk-larda serum A vitamini düzeyini araştıran başka bir çalışmada, 35 astım hastası ve 29 sağlıklı çocuğun serum A vitamini düzeylerine bakılmış ve astımı olan çocukların serum A vitamini düzeylerinin sağ-lıklı çocuklarınkinden önemli düzeyde düşük olduğu saptanmıştır. 12 …”

Níveis plasmáticos de vitamina A em crianças carentes com pneumonia na fase aguda e após recuperação

“…: retinol binding protein -RBP); high consumption of antioxidants, due to the exacerbation of oxidative stress caused by inflammation and infection; and increase in urinary excretion during the acute phase of infection. 9,10 In the literature, there is some controversy over the clinical effects of low serum concentrations of vitamin A, observed in the acute phase of the infectious process. Studies show that the transient reduction, associated with the acute phase of the infectious process, in serum retinol levels, can combine with retinol stores in the eye and lead to night blindness and retinal dystrophy.…”