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Clinical Report: Correlation of Serum Vitamins and Chalazion
Haixia Cheng1, Xuehua Lv, Jiaqi Yao
1Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Insights
Low vitamin A levels are linked to chalazion in East Chinese children, suggesting vitamin A deficiency may cause this common eyelid condition. Further research is needed to confirm this link.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Chalazion is a common eyelid inflammatory lesion caused by blocked tarsal gland secretions.
- Vitamin deficiency is a known risk factor for chalazion in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical correlation between serum vitamin A and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and chalazion in East Chinese children.
- To determine if vitamin A or 25(OH)D deficiency is associated with childhood chalazion.
Main Methods:
- Serum vitamin A and 25(OH)D levels were measured in 90 children with chalazion and 90 healthy controls.
- Subjects were children with an average age of 4.13 years; 47.8% were female.
Main Results:
- Children with chalazion had significantly lower average serum vitamin A levels (0.54 ± 0.15 μmol/L) compared to controls (0.60 ± 0.15 μmol/L).
- The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was significantly higher in the chalazion group (52.2%) versus controls (28.6%).
- No significant difference was found in serum 25(OH)D levels or deficiency rates between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Low serum vitamin A is significantly associated with chalazion in children.
- Serum 25(OH)D levels do not appear to correlate with chalazion in this pediatric population.
- Vitamin A deficiency is a potential contributing factor to childhood chalazion.
Significance:
We demonstrate the clinical correlation between the vitamin A level with chalazion in East Chinese children. Vitamin A deficiency is likely to be a potential cause of childhood chalazion.
Purpose:
Chalazion is the most common lid inflammatory lesion of the eyelid, which can be caused by retention of tarsal gland secretions. Studies have revealed that vitamin deficiency is an essential risk factor for children with chalazion. In this study, we measured the serum levels of vitamin A and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), in patients with chalazion.
Methods:
The study included 180 subjects (90 patients with chalazion and 90 control healthy subjects) with an average age of 4.13 ± 2.01 years, and 47.8% of whom were female. Serums came from blood samples collected and used to measure the levels of vitamin A and 25(OH)D.
Results:
Both groups had statistically similar baseline characteristics, including age and body mass index. The average serum vitamin A levels in patients with chalazion (0.54 ± 0.15 μmol/L) were significantly lower than in their control counterparts (0.60 ± 0.15 μmol/L; P = .01). There was no significant difference in the serum 25(OH)D levels between the patients (70.15 ± 19.73 nmol/L) and control subjects (71.64 ± 24.46 nmol/L). The percentage of vitamin A deficiency in chalazion group (52.2%) was much higher than the control counterparts (28.6%; P = .001). The percentage of 25(OH)D deficiency showed no significant difference between patients with chalazion and control subjects (58.9 vs. 56.7%).
Conclusions:
Low serum vitamin A was significantly associated with chalazion in children. The serum 25(OH)D level exhibited no correlation with chalazion.
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