Retrospective analysis of Vitamin A levels in children in Shandong, China

Background: Vitamin A (VA) levels of children are essential for health. There is a worldwide concern in VA deficiency(VAD), which is associated with some diseases such as dry eyes, respiratory, digestive and immune system diseases in children. Objective The VA levels of children aged 0–14 years who visited our hospital located in Linqing City,Shandong Province, China from February 2019 to January 2020 were screened to provide evidence for prevention and treatment of VAD in children. Methods Children aged 0–14 years were selected as the research objects, and VA levels were determined by liquid chromatography, and the effects of gender, age and different seasons on VA levels were analyzed. Results A total of 1965 children were investigated, ranging from 0 to 14 years old. Among them, 1191 were boys, accounting for 60.61%. 774 were girls, accounting for 39.39%. The normal range of VA levels is 0.3-0.7mg/L. Based on this range, The highest rates of VAD were found in children within 1 year old. 979 (49.8%) of the VA levels were below normal. 211(10.7%)children were deficient and 768(39.1%) children were subclinical deficient. 164(63.3%)children with RRTI and RTI were deficient.467(43.4%)healthy children were deficient.One person (0.05%) exceeded the normal level value. There was no significant difference in serum VA levels between boys and girls (P > 0.05), indicating that gender difference had no effect on VA levels. However, the influence of different seasons on VA levesl were statistically significant in different age groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion Nearly half of the children's VA levels were lower than normal value, which was related to age and season, but not gender. Children with RRTI and RTI had much lower VA levels than healthy children.