ArticleNutrition & metabolism2023
A comparative study on indicators of vitamin A status and risk factors for sensitivity and specificity of the methods to detect vitamin A deficiency.
Article in Nutrition & metabolism, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin A intake and status and associations with iron status, anaemia and birth outcomes of pregnant women in the Free State Province, South Africa: the Nutritional Status of Expectant Mothers and their newborn Infants (NuEMI) study.The British journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Article
- Association between vitamin A status, inflammations, and infections in children 36-59 months of age in rural Burkina Faso: A cross - sectional study.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Micronutrient Biomarkers and Their Association with Malaria Infection in Children in Buea Health District, Cameroon.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Article
- Association of Vitamin A and D Deficiencies with Infectious Outcomes in Children Undergoing Intensive Induction Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.The Journal of pediatrics · 2024Article
- Evaluating a novel method for vitamin A analysis in an observational study of the UAE's obese population.Scientific reports · 2024Observational
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8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSerum retinol (SR) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) are commonly used indicators, but they are affected by infections and inflammation. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of VA indicators to detect vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in 36-59-month-old children living in a rural area in Burkina Faso.
methodsIn a community-based study, two cross-sectional surveys were carried out from November 2016 to September 2017 in the health district of Dandé in Burkina Faso. The surveys included 115 children 36-59 months old. Indicators of VA and inflammation assessed in all children included SR, RBP and total liver VA reserves (TLR) estimated by retinol isotope dilution, and inflammation markers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP)). We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. In addition, the effects of inflammation, helminth infection, and season on sensitivity and specificity were assessed.
resultsThe prevalence of VAD assessed by SR (< 0.7 µmol/L), RBP (< 0.7 µmol/L), and TLR (< 0.1 µmol/g liver) were, respectively, 30.9%, 33.3%, and 0%. Compared to TLR, the specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of SR were 71.1%, 0%, and 100%, and of RBP, were 68.9%, 0%, and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity was indeterminable for SR and RBP. The specificity of SR and RBP was lower during the dry season. Elevated CRP (> 5.0 mg/L) and AGP (> 1.0 g/L) were detected in 1.9% and 28.6% of children, respectively. The adjustment of VA indicators for inflammation improved SR's specificity to 75.9% and decreased RBP's specificity to 67.8%.
conclusionNo cases of VAD were identified by TLR. However, (inflammation-adjusted) SR and RBP had varying accuracy in the estimation of VAD.
trial registrationThe study was registered, retrospectively, on 22 March 2018 as a clinical trial with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry under the number Cochrane South Africa; PACTR201803002999356.
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