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Published on: January 5, 2017
Vitamin A supplementation in acute diarrhea
K Yurdakök1, E Ozmert, S S Yalçin
1Department of Social Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Institute of Child Health, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
High-dose vitamin A supplementation did not shorten the duration of acute diarrhea in non-malnourished infants aged 6-12 months. This study found no significant impact on diarrhea duration or serum vitamin A levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Vitamin A supplementation is known to reduce the severity of subsequent diarrheal episodes.
- Acute diarrhea remains a significant health concern in infants globally.
- Understanding the role of vitamin A in managing acute diarrhea is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a single oral high-dose vitamin A supplementation on the duration of acute diarrhea.
- To assess serum vitamin A levels and weight gain in infants receiving vitamin A compared to placebo.
- To evaluate the efficacy of vitamin A in non-malnourished infants aged 6-12 months experiencing acute diarrhea.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted.
- 60 infants (6-12 months) with acute diarrhea received either 100,000 IU oral vitamin A or a placebo.
- Infants were followed until diarrhea resolved, with serum vitamin A levels measured at admission and 2 weeks post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Vitamin A supplementation showed no significant effect on the total duration of diarrhea (7.4 vs. 7.8 days) or post-intervention duration (3.8 vs. 3.9 days).
- Serum vitamin A levels at admission and after 2 weeks did not differ significantly between the vitamin A and placebo groups.
- Both groups showed a significant increase in serum vitamin A levels from admission to 2 weeks, with similar mean weight gain.
Conclusions:
- Single oral high-dose vitamin A supplementation did not demonstrate a beneficial effect on the duration of acute diarrhea in non-malnourished infants aged 6-12 months.
- The study found no significant impact on serum vitamin A levels or weight gain during the diarrheal episode.
- Further research may be needed to explore vitamin A's role in different infant populations or with varied supplementation regimens.
Background:
Vitamin A supplementation reduces the severity of subsequent diarrheal episodes. This study was conducted to examine the effect of single oral high-dose vitamin A supplementation on the duration of acute diarrhea in 6- to 12-month-old infants who are not malnourished.
Method:
In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, infants who were admitted to Hacettepe University Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital Diarrheal Diseases Training and Treatment Unit with acute diarrhea were randomly assigned either to a group receiving a single oral dose of 100,000 IU vitamin A or placebo. There were 60 infants in each group. All infants were followed up until the diarrheal episode ended. Serum vitamin A levels were determined both at admission and 2 weeks later.
Results:
No effect of vitamin A supplementation could be demonstrated on either the total duration of diarrhea (7.4 +/- 3.2 days in the treatment group vs. 7.8 +/- 3.1 days in the placebo group) or on its duration after intervention (3.8 +/- 2.3 days in the treatment group vs. 3.9 +/- 1.9 days in the placebo group; P > 0.05 for both comparisons). Serum vitamin A levels were not significantly different at admission (23.5 +/- 9.7 microg/dL in the treatment group vs. 24.1 +/- 9.7 microg/dL in the placebo group; P > 0.05) nor at the end of a follow-up period of 2 weeks (treatment: 33.3 +/- 13.7 microg/dL, placebo: 35.2 +/- 11.2 microg/dL; P > 0.05). However, the increase in serum vitamin A levels at the end of the 2-week follow-up interval for infants in both the treatment and placebo groups were found to be significant compared with levels at admission (P < 0.01). The mean weight gain in both groups were similar by the end of the first month (6.9 +/- 5.0% in the treatment group vs. 6.3 +/- 4.2% in the placebo group; P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
No effect of oral vitamin A supplementation on serum vitamin A levels, duration of diarrhea, or weight gain during an acute diarrheal episode could be demonstrated in our study group of infants between 6 and 12 months of age who had no malnutrition.
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