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ASSOCIATION OF VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY & ANEMIA AMONG SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

Shameem Bhatti, Bakhtiar Ahmed Bhanbhro, Shafi Muhammad Wassan, Khalil ur Rahman Kazi, Roshan Ara Kazi, Muhammad Asif Naveed, Asma Rajput

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Deficiency of vitamin A has been shown to be one of the major nutritional problems among children, particularly in the developing countries. Recent studies and experiments on animals have shown that vitamin A deficiency may have an apparent association with anemia. OBJECTIVE: To study the association between vitamin A deficiency and anemia among school going children. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional analysis was conducted upon a sample of 380 school going children (aged 6 to 14 years) volunteering to participate in free anemia screening camps (with parental permission) held at different schools from June 2018 to May 2019. Blood samples were collected and the concentrations of hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron, serum ferritin (SF), erythrocyte proto-porphyrin (EP), serum retinol and b-carotene, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TS) and other hematological indices were measured. Additional, sociodemographic lifestyle and dietary details were inquired and recorded onto an interview-based questionnaire. The data obtained was recorded onto a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS v.21 & Microsoft Excel 2016. RESULTS: Among, the 380-patient enrolled into the study, 47.1% were males while the remaining 52.9% were females. The mean age of the sample stood at 11 (SD ± 2). Several biochemical and dietary parameters related to anemia were correlated with plasma levels of retinol. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 years showed a significant positive correlation between hemoglobin and plasma retinol. In children of all age groups there were positive correlations between plasma retinol and serum iron. Percent saturation of transferrin was also found to be lower when plasma retinol levels were low. Children with an adequate intake of iron, as classified by both dietary information and socioeconomic level, showed a significant positive correlation between plasma retinol levels and iron in their serum. CONCLUSION: After careful consideration, it can be concluded that in the light of the results of this study, a possible relationship between vitamin A deficiency and anemia is suggested. KEYWORDS: Vitamin A, Retinol, School Children, Anemia, Nutritional Deficiency and Serum Iron Level.

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