[Vitamin e supplementation in Senegalese children with kwashiorkor]

Kwashiorkor continues to be a major cause of infant mortality in the developing world. It has recently been suggesting that this form of malnutrition is due to oxidizing aggression. Vitamin E is a powerful natural anti-oxidant, and we therefore investigated the extent to which its supplementation in the diet contributed to treating child kwashiorkor. Vitamin E was also administered to children suffering from marasmus. The study was conducted from October 1993 to July 1994 and included 79 children (38 cases of kwashiorkor and 41 of marasmus). The treatment resulted in a 76% success rate, with the best results for marasmus (89.5% cure). However, the supplement did not have any effect on the nutritional status for either the kwashiorkor or marasmus patients. In the kwashiorkor group, the weight increase, after disappearance of edema was 15.2 +/- 4.9 g/kg/d in the supplemented group as compared to 16.4 +/- 3.6 g/kg/d in the control group. The duration of edema along treatment was similar for the two groups (supplemented: 8.6 +/- 3.1 days, control group: 7.1 +/- 3.9 days). Possible reasons for vitamin E supplementation having no effect are discussed.