Vitamin A Deficiency Medication

  • Author: George Ansstas, MD; Chief Editor: George T Griffing, MD   more...
 
Updated: Mar 29, 2012
 

Medication Summary

The goals of pharmacotherapy are to reduce morbidity and to prevent complications.[25]

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Vitamins

Class Summary

Essential for normal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. They may also work as cofactors used in aerobic cellular respiration.

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Vitamin A (Aquasol A, Palmitate-A)

 

Cofactor in many biochemical processes.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

George Ansstas, MD  Instructor, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine

George Ansstas, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jigna Thakore, MD  Fellow, Department of Gastroenterology, Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center

Jigna Thakore, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

N Gopalswamy, MD  Chairman, Professor of Internal Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Udaya M Kabadi, MD  Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Romesh Khardori, MD, PhD, FACP  Professor of Endocrinology, Director of Training Program, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Strelitz Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders Institute, Department of Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Romesh Khardori, MD, PhD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Physicians, American Diabetes Association, and Endocrine Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP  Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, and Society of General Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

George T Griffing, MD  Professor of Medicine, St Louis University School of Medicine

George T Griffing, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Medical Practice Executives, American College of Physician Executives, American College of Physicians, American Diabetes Association, American Federation for Medical Research, American Heart Association, Central Society for Clinical Research, Endocrine Society, International Society for Clinical Densitometry, and Southern Society for Clinical Investigation

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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  2. Pazirandeh S, Burns DL. Overview of fat-soluble vitamins I. UpToDate. 2002.

  3. Russell RM. Vitamin and trace mineral deficiency and excess. In: Braunwald E, Fauci A, Kasper D, et al, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. vol 1. 15th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2001:465-6.

  4. Jimenez C, Leets I, Puche R, et al. A single dose of vitamin A improves haemoglobin concentration, retinol status and phagocytic function of neutrophils in preschool children. Br J Nutr. Dec 15 2009;1-5. [Medline].

  5. Munoz EC, Rosado JL, Lopez P, et al. Iron and zinc supplementation improves indicators of vitamin A status of Mexican preschoolers. Am J Clin Nutr. Mar 2000;71(3):789-94. [Medline]. [Full Text].

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  8. Gungor S, Olmez A, Pinar Arikan Firat, et al. Serum retinol and beta-carotene levels in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. J Child Neurol. Mar 2007;22(3):341-3. [Medline].

  9. Imdad A, Herzer K, Mayo-Wilson E, Yakoob MY, Bhutta ZA. Vitamin A supplementation for preventing morbidity and mortality in children from 6 months to 5 years of age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Dec 8 2010;12:CD008524. [Medline].

  10. Rothman KJ, Moore LL, Singer MR, et al. Teratogenicity of high vitamin A intake. N Engl J Med. Nov 23 1995;333(21):1369-73. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  11. Alaimo K, McDowell MA, Briefel RR, et al. Dietary intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber of persons ages 2 months and over in the United States: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Phase 1, 1988-91. Adv Data. Nov 14 1994;1-28. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  12. Lee V, Ahmed F, Wada S, et al. Extent of vitamin A deficiency among rural pregnant women in Bangladesh. Public Health Nutr. Jun 12 2008;1-6. [Medline].

  13. West KP Jr, Mehra S. Vitamin A intake and status in populations facing economic stress. J Nutr. Jan 2010;140(1):201S-7S. [Medline].

  14. Semba RD, de Pee S, Sun K, et al. The role of expanded coverage of the national vitamin A program in preventing morbidity and mortality among preschool children in India. J Nutr. Jan 2010;140(1):208S-12S. [Medline].

  15. Williams IO, Essien EU, Eka OU. Socioeconomic Factors and Vitamin A Status of Pregnant Women in Calabar Urban, Southeastern Nigeria. Matern Child Health J. Nov 25 2009;[Medline].

  16. Al-Saleh I, El-Doush I, Billedo G. Age and gender-related reference values for serum dl-alpha-tocopherol and all-trans-retinol levels in Saudi population. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. Sep 2007;77(5):326-35. [Medline].

  17. Gomes MM, Saunders C, Ramalho A. Placenta: a possible predictor of vitamin A deficiency. Br J Nutr. Dec 15 2009;1-5. [Medline].

  18. de Pee S, Dary O. Biochemical indicators of vitamin A deficiency: serum retinol and serum retinol binding protein. J Nutr. Sep 2002;132(9 Suppl):2895S-901S. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  19. Weinman AR, Jorge SM, Martins AR, et al. Assessment of vitamin A nutritional status in newborn preterm infants. Nutrition. Jun 2007;23(6):454-60. [Medline].

  20. Gorstein JL, Dary O, Pongtorn, et al. Feasibility of using retinol-binding protein from capillary blood specimens to estimate serum retinol concentrations and the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in low-resource settings. Public Health Nutr. May 2008;11(5):513-20. [Medline].

  21. Russell RM. The vitamin A spectrum: from deficiency to toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr. Apr 2000;71(4):878-84. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  22. Mayo-Wilson E, Imdad A, Herzer K, Yakoob MY, Bhutta ZA. Vitamin A supplements for preventing mortality, illness, and blindness in children aged under 5: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. Aug 25 2011;343:d5094. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  23. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th ed. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture; Jan 2005. [Full Text].

  24. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements; Apr 23 2006. [Full Text].

  25. Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamin supplementation in disease prevention II. UpToDate. 2002.

  26. Fairfield KM, Fletcher RH. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review. JAMA. Jun 19 2002;287(23):3116-26. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  27. Willett WC, Hunter DJ. Vitamin A and cancers of the breast, large bowel, and prostate: epidemiologic evidence. Nutr Rev. Feb 1994;52(2 Pt 2):S53-9. [Medline].

 
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