Vitamin A Status in the Mother-Child Couple at the University Teaching Hospital of Angondje in Gabon

Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency is responsible for severe disorders, and sometimes irreversible consequences in children. We aimed to evaluate the Vitamin A status of newborns in Gabon. Method: prospective study from August to December 2017 at the maternity of the University Teaching Hospital of Angondje (Gabon). We included at random mother-child pairs. A nutritional inquiry on Vitamin A was ran in the selected parturient. We performed the measurement of serum retinol booth in mother and child according to standardized and strict criteria, in Gabon and in France. World Health Organization defines Vitamin A deficiency by serum retinol .7 μmol/L. Results: We included 75 mother-child couples. The mean age of the mothers was 25.7 ± 7 years, 89.3% of neonates were an age gestational ≥ 36 weeks, and 10.7% were premature. Mango was the most commonly used source of Vitamin A and 27% of women consumed more than 3 times a week. The mean serum retinol of the mothers was 0.87 μmol/L ± 0.35 extremes [0.22 μmol/L - 1.79 μmol/L], the mean serum retinol of the newborns was 0.92 μmol/L ± 0.30 extremes [0.24 μmol/l - 1.84 μmol/L].Vitamin A deficiency was observed in 23.3% (n = 25; CI 95% [22.1% - 25.8%]) of mothers and 20% (n = 15; CI 95% [18.2% - 22%]) newborns. There was a weak correlation between the serum retinol of mothers and serum retinol of newborns (r = 0, 17). Conclusion: The prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency is quite important in neonates of our investigation, and justifies a systematic supplementation.