Serum vitamin A concentrations in asthmatic children in Japan

Pediatr Int. 2006 Jun;48(3):261-4.

Serum vitamin A concentrations in asthmatic children in Japan.

Mizuno Y, Furusho T, Yoshida A, Nakamura H, Matsuura T, Eto Y. Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient with important roles in immunity and maintenance of normal epithelial cell differentiation. Little information is available regarding the relationship between vitamin A concentrations and asthma despite the repair of epithelial and other structural changes being of utmost importance for the relief of symptoms and control of the disease. The authors evaluated vitamin A and vitamin E concentrations in well-nourished children with asthma. METHODS: The serum vitamin A and vitamin E concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography methods. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and Peason's correlation coefficient test. RESULTS: According to these methods, the mean serum vitamin A concentrations were significantly lower (19.41+/-7.45 microg/dL, mean+/-SD) in asthmatic children than controls (29.52+/-11.34 microg/dL, P=0.0001). To compare the correlation of C-reactive protein and serum vitamin A concentrations, there was also significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that there is a correlation between vitamin A deficiency and the mechanism of asthmatic response. These data support that the mechanism of hypovitaminosis A in asthmatic children may involve not only the acute phase response but also the various degrees of chronic epitherial damage of airways.

PMID: 16732791 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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