Vitamin A status in wheezing Saudi children.

OBJECTIVE To examine the serum retinol levels of wheezing children, and to investigate the relation as an biochemical indicator of vitamin A status in wheezing children between serum levels of retinol and severity of wheezing. METHODS A prospective cohort study including 400 wheezing Saudi children aged 3-36 months, who were treated in the pediatrics ward of Ohoud Public Hospital in Al-Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2009 and August 2010. Patients were subdivided according to the course of wheeze into 93 patients with persistent wheeze, and 307 patients with acute wheeze. Severity of wheeze was graded mild, moderate, and severe. RESULTS Among the persistent wheezing patients 9.7% had deficient, and 20.4% had marginal serum vitamin A concentration, while in the acute wheezing patients, 1.6% had deficient, and 8.1% had marginal serum vitamin A concentrations. Results revealed that the prevalence of deficient and marginal vitamin A concentration is higher in the persistent than in the acute wheezing group (p<0.05). Serum vitamin A was related to wheezing severity. Deficient serum vitamin A was found only in severe wheezing groups. CONCLUSION Wheezing Saudi infants had prevalent deficiency and marginal deficiency of vitamin A. Serum vitamin A concentrations were related to the wheezing severity and course.