The Effects of Vitamin A Supplementation on the Morbidity of Children Born to HIV-Infected Women

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

The Effects of Vitamin A Supplementation on the Morbidity of Children Born to HIV-Infected Women

American Journal of Public Health (08/95) Vol. 85, No. 8, P. 1076
Coutsoudis, Anna; Bobat, Raziya A.; Coovadia, Hoosen M. et al.

To determine the effects of vitamin A supplementation on the morbidity of children born to HIV-infected women, Coutsoudis et al. conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 118 infants in Durban, South Africa. Among all the children, the vitamin A supplemented group had a reduced average morbidity. The rates of morbidity for those receiving supplementation were lower for almost every condition when assessed individually. Also in the supplemented group, all diarrhea was reduced by 29 percent, diarrhea lasting more than 7 days was reduced by 38 percent, and hospital admissions for diarrhea declined by 77 percent. Among the 85 children whose HIV status was known, diarrhea-related morbidity was almost reduced by half in the supplemented HIV-infected group. Vitamin A, however, had no effect on diarrheal morbidity in the uninfected children. The researchers concluded that, in a population where vitamin A deficiency is not endemic, vitamin A supplementation for the children of HIV-infected women appeared to be beneficial and to reduce morbidity. This benefit was particularly diarrheal morbidity among HIV- infected children.

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