Vitamin A deficiency: a serious threat in Dodota district in central Ethiopia

Abstract

A total of 147 children, aged from six months to six years were examined for signs of xerophthalmia in a village in Arsi zone of Ethiopia. Night blindness, Bitot's spots, corneal ulceration and corneal scars were observed in 17.0%, 26.5%, 2.7% and 0.7% of the children respectively. The concentration of serum retinol was measured in all children with xerophthalmia and every twentieth of the remaining children. Serum retinol levels were in the deficient range (< 0.35 mumol/I) in 31.9% and low (0.35-0.69 mumol/I) in 48.9% of the children. There was a higher prevalence of stunting (24.5%) than wasting (18.4%) with an additional 10.2% of children being both stunted and wasted. The prevalence of diarrhoea was twice as high in children with xerophthalmia than children without (p < 0.01).

PIP: Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Clinical examination of 147 children 6 months-6 years of age from Ouda Dodota village in Ethiopia's Arsi zone revealed that 40.6% of boys and 30.8% of girls had at least 1 recognizable symptom of vitamin A deficiency. As a result of drought, consumption of beta carotene is very low in this grain-farming zone. Only 13% of children with clinical manifestations of vitamin A deficiency were under 3 years of age, presumably reflecting the protective effect of prolonged breast feeding. Night blindness, Bitit's spots, corneal ulceration, and corneal scars were present in 17.0%, 26.5%, 2.7%, and 0.7% of children, respectively. The concentration of serum retinol was measured in all children with xerophthalmia and 1 in every 20 remaining children. These levels were deficient (0.35 mcgmol/l) in 31.9% and low (0.35-0.69 mcgmol/l) in 48.9% of children. There was no association between retinol levels and clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency. 18.4% of children were wasted, 24.5% were stunted, and 10.2% were both wasted and stunted. Again, there was no significant association with signs of vitamin A deficiency. Finally, the risk of diarrhea was 2.17 times higher among children with xerophthalmia, confirming observations that repeated, prolonged diarrhea is a risk factor for vitamin A deficiency.