VITAMIN-A-DEFICIENCY AND PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION IN A SAMPLE OF PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN IN THE KIVU PROVINCE IN ZAIRE

Objective: To assess pre-school age children's vitamin A status in a p opulation where protein-energy malnutrition is endemic and serum retin ol binding protein and transtyretin concentrations are low. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Health district of Katana, South-Kivu, Zaire. Subjects: 415 pre-school age children. Methods: Three methods were used to assess vitamin A status: ophtalmological examination, ret inol serum concentration and Relative Dose Response (RDR) test.Results : The only ophthalmological signs of vitamin A deficiency appeared in two cases of night blindness, which represents a prevalence of 0.7%. D eficient serum retinol concentration (< 0.35 mu mol/l) was found in 19 .7% of the whole study population and in 10.4% of non-infected childre n in good nutritional status. RDR test carried out on a reduced sample of 79 subjects was abnormal for 7.6% of the children but showed a low sensitivity when compared with serum retinol concentration. Conclusio n: This survey suggests that in this population of the South-Kivu Prov ince in Zaire, vitamin A deficiency co-exists with protein-energy maln utrition and is a public health problem even with non-malnourished and non-infected children.