Neonatal vitamin A deficiency and its impact on acute respiratory infections among preschool Inuit children.

OBJECTIVE To assess if vitamin A concentration in umbilical cord blood is associated with incidence and severity of respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children from Nunavik (Québec, Canada). METHOD The medical charts of 305 children were reviewed from 0 to 5 years of age. The association between vitamin A concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and hospitalization rates for LRTIs was evaluated using Poisson regression. RESULTS Compared to children with vitamin A concentration > or =20 microg/dl, adjusted rate ratios (RR) for children below 20 microg/dl ranged between 1.06-1.62 for AOM, 1.12-1.34 for LRTIs, and 1.09-1.43 for hospitalization for LRTIs. Most RRs were statistically significant for AOM and LRTIs, but not for hospitalization for LRTIs. CONCLUSION Neonatal vitamin A deficiency appears to be a significant risk factor for AOM and LRTIs in this population.