Vitamin A deficiency in children with acute diarrhoea: A community-based study in Bangladesh

The prevalences of nightblindness and xerophthalmia were assessed in 400 ch ildren, aged 6-59 months, with acute diarrhoea in a rural community in Bang ladesh, The prevalences of nightblindness, conjunctival xerosis, and Bitot' s spot were 7.8%, 9.5%, and 2.7% respectively, Fifty-two percent of the chi ldren who complained of nightblindness had ocular signs of vitamin A defici ency compared to 9% of those without nightblindness (p<0.000). The nightbli ndness was significantly higher among the male children, aged 24-59 months, who were dysenteric and undernourished, did not consume vitamin A-containi ng foods daily, and were not breastfed, The coverage of periodic administra tion of vitamin A capsule was inversely related to the prevalence of nightb lindness. This finding was determined by logistic regression analysis of da ta indicating that a combination of male sex, history of dysentery, absence of periodic administration of vitamin A treatment, and daily intake of vit amin A-containing foods gave the best-fitted model with an overalll predict ion of 92.5% of being nightblind. The findings of the study suggest that mo thers should be educated to observe their diarrhoeal children about develop ment of nightblindness and to seek treatment for it. The locally-relevant n utrition education should also be offered to them.