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Vitamin A status in children with asthma
Praveen Arora1, Virendra Kumar, Sanjay Batra
1Department of Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran, Children's Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Summary
Children with asthma have significantly lower vitamin A levels, with severe asthma linked to markedly low levels. Further research is needed to determine if vitamin A supplementation benefits asthmatic children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Low vitamin A levels are associated with various childhood diseases.
- Vitamin A status in pediatric asthma requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess vitamin A status in children with asthma.
- To correlate vitamin A levels with asthma severity.
Main Methods:
- Serum vitamin A, retinol-binding protein (RBP), and albumin levels were measured in 35 asthmatic children and 29 controls.
- Asthma severity was categorized (mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate to severe persistent).
- Statistical analysis was performed to compare groups and assess correlations.
Main Results:
- Asthmatic children exhibited significantly lower serum vitamin A levels compared to controls (p = 0.0001).
- Low vitamin A levels (< 20 microg/dl) were four times more prevalent in asthmatic children.
- A negative correlation was found between asthma severity and serum vitamin A levels (r = -0.61, p = 0.0001).
- Children with severe persistent asthma had markedly lower vitamin A levels than those with mild intermittent asthma.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric asthma patients demonstrate significantly reduced serum vitamin A levels.
- Vitamin A deficiency is more common in children with asthma, particularly those with severe disease.
- Further therapeutic trials are warranted to explore vitamin A supplementation's role in managing pediatric asthma.