Abstract

The vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is considered as a major public health problem in the world. This phenomenon is still not well known in Algeria. The prevalence of this deficiency is calculated on a group of children in good health, not supplemented with vitamin A, from rural, semi-rural and urban environments in the Blida region (Algeria), aged 1 to 23months and recruited in the pediatric services of Blida area, during the period of November 2007–April 2008. The sample is composed of 150 children (87 boys and 63 girls) who present a concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP)<10mg/L. The mean concentrations of serum retinol are 1.049±0.422μmol/L. The dosages of the serum retinol-binding protein (RBP) and prealbumin revealed the mean values of 0.024±0.009g/L and of 0.152±0.039g/L, respectively for RBP and prealbumin. The prevalence of serum retinol deficiency is 19%; this indicates the presence of a moderate VAD. The prevalence of carrier protein deficiency is 76% for the RBP and 10% for the prealbumin. To remedy the problem of vitamin A deficiency, it is advisable to implement a policy of nutritional education. The supplementation can be interesting only for the children whose nutritional status is defective or living in areas where the food products rich in vitamin A are rare.

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