SERUM RETINOL LEVEL IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION

El Walili TM¹, Hussein ZM¹, Galal AA¹, Nakhla IY¹, Elewa SM²

1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Alexandria, Egypt

2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Alexandria, Egypt

Vitamin A deficiency is associated with widespread alterations in mucosal surfaces and immune abnormalities that are reversible with vitamin A supplementation. The potential relationship between vitamin A status and infectious diseases has been appreciated for decades.

Objective: To study the relationship between vitamin A status in children suffering from recurrent acute respiratory tract infection during acute infection and after recovery (after 2 weeks). This study was carried out on 30 children suffering from recurrent respiratory tract infections; more than eight episodes per year.

Methods: We estimated the serum retinol level during acute infections and two weeks later and we compare them to normal children of the same age, sex and socioeconomic status.

Results: Revealed that children with recurrent episodes of respiratory tract infections had low serum retinol levels both during infections and 2 weeks later when compared to normal controls. During acute infections, children with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) had significantly lower serum retinol when compared with that of children having upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), with a slight but significant rise in serum retinol in patients with LRTI 2 weeks after acute infections.

Conclusion: These findings support the presence of an association between vitamin A deficiency and infections particularly those of the respiratory tract, but what has not been clear is which comes first, repeated infections or vitamin A deficiency.

2087