NIGHT BLINDNESS IS PREVALENT DURING PREGNANCY AND LACTATION IN RURAL NEPAL

The prevalence of night blindness during pregnancy and lactation was a ssessed in a sample of 426 women living in the rural terai of Nepal. T hese women were also examined for ocular signs of vitamin A deficiency . Among 241 lactating women, 16.2% reported experiencing night blindne ss at some time during the pregnancy that produced the infant they wer e now breast-feeding. Among 185 pregnant women, 8.1% reported being ni ght-blind at the time of the interview. The odds of night blindness in the current pregnancy were six times greater for women who reported n ight blindness in their previous pregnancy. Night-blind women were mor e likely to come from households with lower socioeconomic status. Teen age women and those over the age of 30 were at highest risk, particula rly those of higher parity within these age groups. Vitamin A deficien cy, for which night blindness is a marker, seems to be a problem in th is population of pregnant and lactating women, with potential health c onsequences for women and their infants.