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Vitamin A status in children who are prone to respiratory tract infections
Author(s) -
PINNOCK CAROLE B.,
DOUGLAS ROBERT M.,
BADCOCK NEIL R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1986.tb00197.x
Subject(s) - medicine , respiratory tract infections , vitamin , respiratory tract , respiratory system , intensive care medicine , vitamin a deficiency , physiology , pediatrics , retinol
The effect of Vitamin A supplementation on susceptibility to acute respiratory infections was investigated in a randomized controlled trial. One hundred and forty‐seven preschool‐age children with a history of frequent respiratory illness were randomized into Vitamin A supplemented (450 g/day) and placebo groups. Respiratory symptoms were recorded on a daily basis over a period of 11 months. The children who received the supplement experienced 19% fewer episodes of respiratory symptomatology ( P <0.05) than their placebo counterparts, despite the fact that their plasma retinol levels did not change. Children with a prior history of lower respiratory illness or of allergy benefited most from supplementation. The plausibility of a role for Vitamin A in the aetiology of respiratory proneness is reviewed.