Neonatal vitamin A deficiency and its impact on acute respiratory infections among preschool Inuit children.

摘要

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 (Quebec, 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 > or =20 microg/dl, adjusted rate ratios (RR) for children below 20 microg/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.