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Annales de Biologie Clinique. Volume 63, Number 3, 291-5, Mai - Juin 2005, article original

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Author(s) : HF Yapi, H Ahiboh, K Ago, M Aké, D Monnet

Summary : The purpose of this transverse prospective study was to determine blood nutritional, immunity and inflammatory proteins change in vitamin A deficiency in children of school-age (262 children, aged 7 to 15 years). Blood vitamin A has been determined by HPLC with UV detection. Proteins have been measured by radial immunodiffusion according to Mancini. Results showed that 96 children (36.6%) presented a vitamin A deficiency (vitamin A <\; 200 μg/L with a retinol binding protein/transthyretin molar ratio \= 0.29 ± 0.06) while 166 (63.3%) children presented normal blood concentrations of vitamin A (vitamin A ≥ 200 μg/L with a Retinol Binding Protein/Transthyretin molar ratio \= 0.40 ± 0.08). This study showed that the retinol binding protein and the immunoglobulin A are lower in children with vitamin A deficiency. On the other hand, an isolated increase of α-1 glycoprotein acid has been observed in boys with vitamin A deficiency. The vitamin A deficiency observed in this survey is due to a micronutrients deficiency in the diet which is essentially based on glucides. The positive correlation between vitamin A and immunoglobulin A concentrations might be the result of the vitamin A inductive effect during immunoglobulins A synthesis. The isolated increasing of α-1glycoprotein acid in boys with vitamin A deficiency has been assigned to the ecosensitiveness of the unfavourable environment. We therefore concluded that, in Ivorian primary-school-aged children with vitamin A deficiency, nutritional, immunity and inflammatory proteins which are modified are respectively retinol binding protein, immunoglobulin A and α-1 glycoprotein acid.

Keywords : protein profile, vitamin A deficiency, children, Ivory Coast