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Query: UMLS:C0002871 (anemia)
 52,094 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are characterized by a decrease in the number of T helper cells, a defect that is linked to the impaired immunologic competence. Vitamin A and its dietary precursor, beta-carotene, increase absolute T helper cell counts as well as indices of T cell function in both human and animal models. To determine if short-term beta-carotene treatment affects T lymphocyte subsets in patients with AIDS, a single-blind, non-randomized clinical trial of beta-carotene was performed in seven patients with AIDS. Enrollment criteria included no evidence of: a) active opportunistic infection: b) greater than 1 kilogram change in weight in the month preceding enrollment; c) chronic diarrhea or malabsorption; and d) hepatic disease or significant anemia. Beta-carotene was given with meals in two divided doses of 60 mg/day for four weeks; this was followed by no therapy for six weeks. Samples for total white blood cell, lymphocyte and T lymphocyte subset counts were measured at baseline, at the end of four weeks of treatment and another six weeks after treatment had stopped. P24 antigen, beta-2 microglobulin and liver function tests were also measured. All subjects tolerated the treatment well without evidence of toxicity. In response to beta-carotene, total lymphocyte counts rose by 66 percent (.05 < p < .10), and CD4+ cells rose slightly, but insignificantly, in the entire group. In all three of the patients who had baseline CD4+ cells greater than 10/microliters, however, the mean absolute increase in CD4+ cells in response to beta-carotene was 53 +/- 10 cells/microliters (p < .01). Six weeks off beta-carotene treatment, the absolute CD4+ cell count returned to pretreatment levels (p < .01). No change was observed in CD8+ cells. P24 antigen and beta-2 microglobulin did not change during treatment. These preliminary observations suggest that short-term treatment with beta-carotene may increase CD4+ cell counts in patients with AIDS who have greater than 10 cells/microliters.
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PMID:The effect of supplemental beta-carotene on immunologic indices in patients with AIDS: a pilot study. 874 63

A survey of 754 preschool children was undertaken in the urban areas of seven small towns of the semi-arid region of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil, to determine the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, as well as its association with variables such as a age, family income, mother's schooling and dietary adequacy in vitamin A. Protein energy malnutrition and anemia were also studied and are reported separately. The clinical ophthalmological examination did not reveal any signs or symptoms of xerophthalmia amongst these children. In 563 children serum retinol was determined and the average value found was 20.3 micrograms/dl (SD = 10.8 micrograms/dl); the prevalence of deficient serum retinol (below 10.0 micrograms/dl) was of 15.3%. In all 7 localities studied, the prevalence of deficient retinol levels was above 5.0%, the criterion recommended by WHO for considering it a Public Health Problem. The distribution of serum retinol was similar between the sexes, but there was an age trend: the prevalence of deficient and low levels decreased with age. There was no association between deficient serum retinol and family income per capita or mother's education. Results from the 24 h food consumption survey revealed that only 8% of children had an adequate intake of vitamin A through the diet; 66% received less than 1/2 and 35% less than 1/4 of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency should be considered a Public Health Problem in the region due to the high prevalence of deficient levels of serum retinol as well as the large dietary inadequacy.
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PMID:[Nutritional status of pre-school children of the semi-arid region of Bahia (Brazil): II--Vitamin A deficiency]. 900 24

After the rapid decrease in the prevalence of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia in the Venezuelan population when a national program for fortification of flours with iron and vitamins was instituted, we studied micronutrient interactions in Venezuelan diets. One hundred human adults were fed three cereal-based diets, labelled with either 59Fe or 55Fe in six studies. Each diet contained different concentrations of vitamin A (from 0.37 to 2.78 micromol/100 g cereal) or beta-carotene (from 0.58 to 2.06 micromol/100 g cereal). The presence of vitamin A increased iron absorption up to twofold for rice, 0.8-fold for wheat and 1.4-fold for corn. beta-carotene increased absorption more than threefold for rice and 1.8-fold for wheat and corn, suggesting that both compounds prevented the inhibitory effect of phytates on iron absorption. Increasing the doses of vitamin A or beta-carotene did not further significantly increase iron absorption. We measured the iron remaining in solution performing in vitro studies in which the pH of solutions was adjusted from 2 to 6 in the presence of vitamin A or beta-carotene. All of the iron from ferrous fumarate was soluble after changing the pH of the solution containing 3.4 micromol of beta-carotene to 6.0. Vitamin A was less effective. However, 78 +/- 18% of iron was soluble in the presence of 3.3 micromol of vitamin A, whereas with no vitamin addition, only 26 +/- 13% of iron was soluble (<0.05). Vitamin A and beta-carotene may form a complex with iron, keeping it soluble in the intestinal lumen and preventing the inhibitory effect of phytates and polyphenols on iron absorption.
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PMID:Vitamin A and beta-carotene can improve nonheme iron absorption from rice, wheat and corn by humans. 948 76

The biological effects of reactive oxygen species and other radicals controlled by antioxidant mechanisms are modified by various enzymes and other substrates. Antioxidant substrates are divided into those with lipophilic and hydrophilic groups. Retinol and tocopherol are the main representations of lipophilic antioxidants. The aim of the present study was to describe the changes of retinol and alpha-tocopherol which occurred in hemodialysis (HD) patients in respect to the influence of antioxidant systems. The experimental group consisted of 14 patients on regular HD treatment. The control group consisted of 14 healthy blood donors. HPLC was used to measure retinol and alpha-tocopherol in serum. We found that the retinol concentration was significantly higher in HD patients compared to controls (2.35 +/- 0.95 versus 0.90 +/- 0.23 mg/L, p < 0.0001). The concentration of alpha-tocopherol in serum was not different in both study groups (7.32 +/- 3.01 versus. 8.94 +/- 3.57 mg/L). A review of the MEDLINE database since 1985 found a few references concerning these important antioxidant vitamins in HD patients and these contained contrasting results. It has been suggested that some of the complications related to HD including cardiovascular complications, anemia and atherosclerosis may be due to ineffective antioxidant systems and/or to increased free oxygen radical production. The question about supplementation of antioxidants in HD patients is open although there are some positive data regarding the use of moderate and safe selenium supplementation in HD patients. HD patients treated by erythropoietin had increased plasma concentration of retinol and normal level of alpha-tocopherol compared to healthy group. However, this positive finding did not affect lipid peroxidation, which is increased in HD patients and leads to some complications during HD treatment.
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PMID:Retinol and alpha-tocopherol in hemodialysis patients. 960 38

Food-based approaches for controlling vitamin A deficiency and its consequences, such as increased mortality, more severe morbidity, and anemia, have become increasingly important, thus prompting a reassessment of the relation between vitamin A intake and status. A nutrition surveillance system in Central Java, Indonesia, assessed the vitamin A intake and serum retinol concentration of women with a child < or =24 mo old with a semiquantitative 24-h recall method that categorized vitamin A-containing foods into 3 categories of plant foods and into 2 categories of animal foods and identified portions as small, medium, or large. Median vitamin A intake was 335 retinol equivalents (RE)/d (n = 600) and vitamin A intake from plant foods was 8 times higher than from animal foods. Serum retinol concentration was related to vitamin A intake in a dose-response manner. The multiple logistic regression model for predicting the chance for a serum retinol concentration greater than the observed median (> or = 1.37 micromol/L) included physiologic factors, vitamin A intake from plant [odds ratio (95% CI) per quartile: 1st, 1.00: 2nd, 1.23 (0.75, 2.02); 3rd, 1.60 (0.97, 2.63); and 4th, 2.06 (1.25, 3.40)] and animal [1st and 2nd, 1.00; 3rd, 1.31 (0.86, 2.02); and 4th, 2.18 (1.40. 3.42)] foods, home gardening [(no, 1.00; yes, 1.71 (1.12, 2.60)], and woman's education level [< or =primary school, 1.00; > or =secondary school, 1.51 (1.02, 2.22)]. Despite the fact that plant foods contributed 8 times as much vitamin A as did animal foods, serum retinol concentrations did not reflect this large difference. Home gardening and woman's education level seemed to reflect longer-term consumption of vitamin A-rich plant and animal foods, respectively.
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PMID:Reappraisal of the role of vegetables in the vitamin A status of mothers in Central Java, Indonesia. 980 24

To assess the nutritional status of 80 elderly living in a geriatric home, a cross-sectional study was designed. 40 men (76.1 +/- 8.2 years) and 40 women (83.1 +/- 6.9 years) were randomly selected. Anthropometric indicators (weight (W), height (H), triceps skinfold (TSF), muscle area (MA), fat area (FA), mid-arm circumference (MAC), arm muscle circumference (AMC) and body mass index (BMI)), biochemical parameters (hemoglobin, ferritin, cholesterol, albumin, zinc and vitamin A) and dietary intake (weighed method) were determined. MAC and AMC in men and PT and FA in women were below 10th percentile. 35.3% did not show signs of undernutrition, 39.7% was at nutritional risk (1 sign) and the other 25% was undernourished (2 or more signs). 8% showed anemia 52% had low values of ferritin, 13% were hypozincemic, 8% had vitamin A deficiency, 29% had hypoalbuminemia and 7.9% hipocholesterolemia. 50% and 48% of men and women had energy intake below 1.5 x BMR (n = 47). Vitamin A, C and zinc adecuacies were below 2/3 RDA. Evidence of the high nutritional risk of this elderly group is provided by alteration of anthropometric, biochemical and dietary indicators. Some other parameters must be assessed (reduced appetite, lack of foods) in order to detect more subtle changes of the nutritional status, and a nutritional intervention should be started immediately.
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PMID:[Nutritional status of institutionalized elderly. Valencia, State of Carabobo, Venezuela]. 983 Apr 84

The relationship between asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was examined in anemic pregnant women from a population with high prevalence of both anemia (60%) and HIV seropositivity (30%). Sera from 155 pregnant women with Hb levels < 10.5 g/dL were tested for HIV status, C-reactive protein (CRP), vitamin B12, retinol, and folate levels. The observed prevalence of HIV seropositivity in the group of women with anemia was 47.1% (95% confidence interval=39.2-55.0%). This is significantly higher than the HIV prevalence in the whole population (30.1%; P < 0.001). Median Hb values in HIV-seropositive and -seronegative women with anemia were 8.40 g/dL and 8.95 g/dL, respectively. Serum retinol, vitamin B12, and folate levels were not significantly different in the HIV-seropositive and -seronegative groups. In women who were HIV-seropositive with normal levels of CRP, a median decrease in Hb of 0.4 g/dL was observed. For those with serum CRP levels > 25 mg/l, the median decrease in Hb was 0.7 g/dL. Results indicate that asymptomatic HIV infection is associated with increased prevalence and severity of anemia in pregnancy in this population.
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PMID:The relationship between asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection and the prevalence and severity of anemia in pregnant Malawian women. 988 14

This cross-sectional study involved 204 elderly individuals (93 males and 111 females). Subjects were randomly recruited using a list on which all 60-75 y-old-people living in seven sub-villages in Jakarta were included. The usual food intake was estimated using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. Hemoglobin, plasma retinol, vitamin B-12, red blood cell folate and the percentage stimulation of erythrocyte transketolase (ETK), as an indicator of thiamine status, were analyzed. Median energy intake was below the assessed requirement. More than 75% of the subjects had iron and thiamine intakes of approximately 2/3 of the recommended daily intake, and 20.2% of the study population had folate intake of approximately 2/3 of the recommended daily intake. Intakes of vitamins A and B-12 were adequate. Biochemical assessments demonstrated that 36.6% of the subjects had low thiamine levels (ETK stimulation > 25%). The elderly men tended to have lower thiamine levels than the elderly women. The overall prevalence of anemia was 28.9%, and the elderly women were affected more than the elderly men. Low biochemical status of vitamins A, B-12 and RBC folate was found in 5.4%, 8.8 % and 2.9% of the subjects, respectively. Dietary intakes of thiamine and folate were associated with ETK stimulation and plasma vitamin B-12 concentration (r = 0.176, P = 0.012 and r = 0.77, P = 0.001), respectively. Results of this study suggest that anemia, thiamine and possibly vitamin B-12 deficiency are prevalent in the elderly living in Indonesia. Clearly, micronutrient supplementation may be beneficial for the Indonesian elderly population living in underprivileged areas.
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PMID:Thiamine deficiency is prevalent in a selected group of urban Indonesian elderly people. 1002 14

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) have been recognized as public health problems in Honduras for over 30 years. This paper, based on the 1996 National Micronutrient Survey on 1678 children 12-71 months of age, presents the results for vitamin A status and anemia prevalence, as well as the level of vitamin A in sugar at the household level. The results showed that 14% of the children were subclinically vitamin A deficient (plasma retinol < 20 micrograms/dL) and 32% were at risk of VAD (plasma retinol 20-30 micrograms/dL). These data indicate that VAD is a moderate public health problem in Honduras. Logistic regression analysis showed that children 12-23 months old living in areas other than the rural south of the country were at greatest risk of subclinical VAD. Infection, indicated by an elevated alpha-1-acid-glycoprotein level, increased the risk of subclinical VAD more than three-fold. Children from households that obtained water from a river, stream, or lake were at twice the risk of subclinical VAD compared with other children. That same doubled risk was found for children from a household with an outside toilet. VAD can be controlled by fortifying sugar. Retinol levels in sugar at the household level were about 50% of those mandated by Honduran law. There appears to be significant leakage of unfortified sugar into the market. This is particularly true in the rural north, where 33% of samples contained no retinol. Overall, 30% of children were anemic (Hb < 11 g/dL). Logistic regression analysis showed that children whose fathers lived with them but who had not attended at least grade 4 of primary school were at 33% greater risk of being anemic. Infection and being underweight increased the risk of being anemic by 51% and 21%, respectively. Many of the anemic children had not been given iron supplements, suggesting health care providers may not be aware that anemia is widespread among young children and/or know how to diagnose it.
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PMID:Vitamin A deficiency and anemia among children 12-71 months old in Honduras. 1044 13

A cross-sectional nutritional survey was carried out on 350 elderly Malays aged 60 and above from 11 randomly selected villages in a rural area on the East Coast of Malaysia. The findings indicated that the mean intakes of energy and all of the nutrients investigated were below the Malaysian Recommended Dietary Allowances, excepts for protein and vitamin C. Nutrients most likely to be inadequate were vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and calcium, with more than 50% of the subjects having estimated intakes of below 2/3 of the recommendations. However, vitamin A status was adequate, with only 2 subjects being biochemically deficient (plasma retinol < or = 0.7 mmol/l). Approximately a third of the subjects had hypoalbuminaemia (plasma albumin < 3.3 g/dl) and anaemia (Haemoglobin < 12 g/dl for men; < 13 g/dl for women). Riboflavin deficiency, as assessed by an erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRAC) of more than 1.35 was identified in 77% of the subjects. The prevalence of vitamin E deficiency (plasma a-tocopherol < or = 12 mmol/l) was 27%, with men being at a greater risk. In conclusion, the dietary intakes of these rural elderly Malays was inadequate. Over three quarters of the sample were biochemically deficient in riboflavin, the functional consequences of which need to be further investigated.
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PMID:Nutritional status of rural elderly Malays: dietary and biochemical findings. 1045 May 34


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