Frank vitamin a deficiency is rare in the united states. Summary vitamin a plays an important role in skin repair and helps fight inflammation. Prevalence of vitamin a deficiency among underfive. Public health programmes for vitamin a deficiency control. Vitamin a deficiency among underfive nigerian children. Micronutrient deficiency still a huge problem in nigeria nafdac. Vitamin a deficiency an overview sciencedirect topics. It is a major contributor to the morbidity and mortality of underfive children and can result in impaired resistance to infection as well as increased risk of death.
Deficiency of vitamin a is found among malnourished, elderly, and chronically sick populations in the united states, but it is more prevalent in developing countries. Vitamin a supplementation programs and countrylevel. Thats why its important to eat foods that are great source of vitamin. Clustering of risks appears to intensify within smaller disadvantaged groupings. Periodic, highdose vitamin a supplementation is a proven, lowcost intervention1 which has been shown to reduce allcause mortality by 12 to 24 per cent2, and is therefore an important programme in support of efforts to reduce child mortality. We aimed to measure serum retinol concentrations of a sample of poor egyptian mothers and correlate it with their hb% and cord hb%. One objectives was to assess the vitamin a status of children vitamin a, iodine, folate and zinc.
According to the world body, an estimated 190 million children globally under the age of five are affected by vitamin a deficiency. It is common in poorer countries, especially among children and women of reproductive age, but rarely is seen in more developed countries. Vitamin a deficiency is prevalent in children less than 5 y of age. Vitamin a deficiency vad is a serious and widespread public health problem in developing countries. Since then the country has used several different approaches. The prevalence of vad among nigerian children appears to have. Mi nigeria supports twiceannual vitamin a supplementation for children with a particular focus on the hardest to reach. It is well known that iron deficiency has adverse effects on productivity and cognition in the general population and is the leading cause of anaemia during pregnancy, contributing to 20% of all maternal and perinatal mortality and low birth weight 6,7. However, vitamin a deficiency is common in many developing countries, often because residents have limited access to foods containing preformed vitamin a from animalbased food sources and they do not commonly consume available foods containing betacarotene due to. Vitamin a deficiency vad or hypovitaminosis a is a lack of vitamin a in blood and tissues. Abnormal visual adaptation to darkness, dry skin, dry hair, broken fingernails, and decreased resistance to infections are among the first signs of vitamin a deficiency vad. The major contributing factors for high prevalence of vad are poor dietary intake of vitamin a and an increasing reliance on.
Perhaps, this may be due to the fact that they do not get enough sun exposure due to the risk of skin hyperpigmentation or skin cancer. Current rates of anemia among preschool aged children and pregnant women are 76% and improve 67%,database on anemia. This crosssectional study included 200 healthy mothers and their healthy full term newborns. Vitamin a deficiency is associated with malnutrition, infectious and diarrheal disease, and respiratory illness. Prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin a deficiency in nigerian. Keep in mind that dry skin can have many causes, but chronic vitamin a deficiency may be the reason.
It is recommended that all children with measles receive 2 doses of vitamin a 100,000 units for children 12 months given. Malaria and vitamin a deficiency in african children. Vitamin a deficiency symptoms, causes and treatment. Republic of congo drc, nepal, nigeria, rwanda, and zambia had high. Vitamin a deficiency vad is a serious and widespread public health. Vitamin a deficiency may be caused by prolonged inadequate intake of vitamin a. Vitamin a deficiency msd manual professional edition. Vitamin a deficiency vad is a global problem of public health significance in many. Mi nigeria donates a full national supply vitamin a capsules via unicef for delivery to all children under the age of five during nationwide maternal, newborn and child health week campaigns. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause hidden hunger although they may not be visible to the naked eye, vitamin and mineral deficiencies impact wellbeing and are pervasive in nigeria, as indicated in figure 4. Available evidence showed that nigeria had, and still has one of the highest rates of child and maternal mortality in the world with vitamin a deficiency vad being a major contributory factor. At the same time, vmd damage assessment reports for 80 individual countries are being distributed to national political leaders and major media.
Vitamin a deficiency vad is of major public health significance. Inequitable coverage of vitamin a supplementation in. We conducted a nationwide food consumption and nutrition survey in nigeria to help fomulate strategies to address vad, among other deficiencies. Vitamin excess and deficiency american academy of pediatrics. Inequitable coverage of vitamin a supplementation in nigeria and implications for childhood blindness ada e. A populationbased survey conducted in nigeria 28, malawi 29, and cameron 30 revealed that the prevalence of xerophthalmia.
Micronutrient deficiency still a huge problem in nigeria. Prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin a deficiency in nigerian preschool children subsisting on high intakes of carotenes. Ophthalmic findings of vitamin a deficiency are a sign of systemic vitamin a deficiency, which is associated with significantly increased risk of mortality and blindness, especially among preschoolage children. Vitamin a deficiency vad and diarrhoea are both renowned for their significant contributions to childhood deaths in africa. It also contributes significantly, even at subclinical levels, to morbidity and mortality from common childhood infections. Primary vitamin a deficiency is caused by prolonged dietary deprivation. This health problem is usually apparent in developing countries.
However, vitamin a deficiency which manifests in the eye as xerophthalmia is the dominant problem in these children. Inequitable coverage of vitamin a supplementation in nigeria and. This first wave of yellow cassava contains enough vitamin a to provide 25% of the daily vitamin a needs of children and women. How govt policy on vitamin a endangers nigerian children. Vitamin a deficiency vad during pregnancy represents a major public health problem in developing countries. Micronutrient malnutrition, also known as hidden hunger, has become a major. Vitamin a deficiency is a risk factor for severe measles. Vitamin a deficiency is a public health problem in many parts of the world, particularly africa and southeast asia. In developing countries such nigeria, occurrences of famine and drought can inhibit an individual.
Vitamin a deficiency among underfive nigerian children with. A literature search was conducted on medline, scopus, world health organisation who and the united nations. Vitamin a deficiency vad is a global problem of public health significance in many underprivileged communities of the world. Vitamin and mineral deficiency symptoms eye, hair, nail, mouth and skin symptoms are among the early outward warning signs of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin a deficiency can lead to blindness, skin disease and growth retardation in children. Prevalence of vitamin a deficiency among underfive children in. Burkina faso initiated supplementation in 1986 after a survey showed that vitamin a deficiency was a major public health problem. Vitamin d deficiency is a common problem among women. Vitamin a deficiency may also occur when your body is unable to make use of the vitamin a in your diet. Department of ophthalmology, university college hospital, ibadan, nigeria. Vitamin a deficiency in nigeria request pdf researchgate. This article discusses vitamin a, including its benefits, food sources, as well as effects of deficiency and toxicity. Vitamin a deficiency vad is the single most important cause of childhood blindness in developing countries. Nigeria, these new varieties could provide more vitamin a in the diets of over 70 million nigerians and contribute to reducing vitamin a deficiency, which is widespread in nigeria.
Vitamin a deficiency is prevalent in children less than 5. Vitamin a deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness and increases the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as. We synthesize and summarize guidelines from nutrition experts, various medical societies, the world health organization, and the american academy of pediatrics. A 1983 study in northern nigeria similarly weighed food intake o 150 children agef 36 sto 60 months in the urban areas of zaria, kano, katsina and jos,all located inthe dry savanna hzone addo 1984. Deficiency in vitamin a happens when your body is unable to get the daily requirement. Micronutrient status and dietary intake of iron, vitamin a. Vitamin a supplementation vas is being implemented in many lmics and high coverage reduces the prevalence of blinding corneal diseases in. Vitamin a deficiency increases allcause mortality in this part of the population, and malaria is an important cause of death in children at this age. A child dying as a result of a common childhood illness is a casualty of vitamin a deficiency. The results showed adequate in take of iron and vitamin a, as assessed based on the rda published in 1967 who. Insufficient vitamin d levels linked to infertility the. Vitamin a deficiency may result to loss of vision and worse death. Vitamin a deficiency has been reported to be responsible for almost six percent of underfivedeaths in africa, 1, 2 while diarrhoea contributes at least 10 percent.
The effectiveness of nutrition education and communication in reducing vitamin a deficiency disorders in nigeria. This is especially so when rice is the main food in your diet rice doesnt contain any carotene. Hand hygiene is a critical element in disease prevention, including preventing the spread of covid19, but based on the latest global estimates, 2 out of 5 people or 3 billion people around the world lack basic handwashing facilities. Nyctalopia night blindness is one of the first signs of vad. The prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin a deficiency was determined in 204 preschool children of both sexes aged. Maternal vitamin a deficiency during pregnancy and its. Vitamin a deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness and increases the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea. Who classifies vitamin a deficiency as a public health problem and also listed nigeria as one of the countries with a high burden of vitamin a deficiency. Vitamin a deficiency affects over 30 million children, most of whom are in the agegroup under five years most affected by malaria. No national data is available on the vitamin a status in nigeria. Search strategy a systematic approach was followed to select all studies with data on iron, vitamin a, iodine, folate and zinc status and intake in ethiopia, kenya, nigeria and south africa. Specifically, we focus on possible clinical scenarios that can be indicative of nutritional deficiency. We conducted a nationwide food consumption and nutrition survey in nigeria to help fomulate strategies to address vad, among other. It can cause visual impairment in the form of night blindness and, in children, may increase the risk of illness and death from childhood infections, including measles and those causing diarrhoea.
The following compilations may help in diagnosing and treating these deficiencies. Vitamin a deficiency is defined as serum retinol levels of below 28. The results showed adequate in take of iron and vitamin a, as assessed based on. Data were collected from the nigeria demographic and health. Vitamin a deficiency and xerophthalmia tend to cluster within countries and within specific families and neighborhoods possibly since the dietary and health practices responsible for vitamin a deficiency are shared by most members of the same community 1, 7. Vitamin a supplementation has been integrated into national immunisation days, along with polio vaccination, in 1999. Vitamin a is a fatsoluble nutrient that plays a vital role in your body. Vitamin solubility disease caused by deficiency vitamin a fat.
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