Vitamin A for preventing acute lower respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age

Vitamin A appears not to decrease, and seems rather to increase lower respiratory tract infections in children.

A Cochrane review included 10 studies with a total of 33 979 subjects. Most studies found no significant effect of vitamin A on the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), or prevalence of symptoms of acute LRTI. Vitamin A caused an increased incidence of acute LRTI in one study; an increase in cough and fever; and increased symptoms of cough and rapid breathing in two others. Three reported no differences and no protective effect of vitamin A. Two studies reported that vitamin A significantly reduced the incidence of acute LRTI with children with poor nutritional status or weight, but increased it in normal children.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (variability in results across studies and heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes).

Ədəbiyyat

1. Chen H, Zhuo Q, Yuan W, Wang J, Wu T. Vitamin A for preventing acute lower respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD006090 [Review content assessed as up-to-date: 29 June 2010].