Year: 2026 | Month: September | Volume: 16 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 64-70
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260908
Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency in Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years with Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Rishita Sharma1, Shailendra Kumar Gautam2, Arun Kumar Arya3, Santosh Kumar Barman4, Yogendra Narayan Verma5, Navin Kumar6, Seema Barman7
1Junior Resident, Department of Paediatrics, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
2,3Professor, Department of Paediatrics, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
4Professor, Department of Community Medicine, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
5Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
6*Statistician Cum Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, UNS ASMC, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
7Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh
Corresponding Author: Dr. Navin Kumar
ABSTRACT
Background: Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining epithelial integrity and supporting immune function. However, serum retinol concentrations may decrease transiently during acute infection and inflammation. This study assessed the prevalence of low serum retinol and its association with pneumonia severity among children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 70 children aged 6 months to 5 years with clinically and radiologically diagnosed pneumonia admitted to a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Kanpur, India, between June 2024 and February 2026. Serum retinol was measured at admission using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and categorized as normal (≥20 µg/dL), low (10 to <20 µg/dL), or severely low (<10 µg/dL). Pneumonia severity was classified according to World Health Organization criteria. Associations between serum retinol status and pneumonia severity were assessed using Fisher’s exact test and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Pearson’s correlation was used to assess relationships between serum retinol concentration and clinical severity indicators. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with severe pneumonia.
Results: Among 70 children, 51 (72.9%) had serum retinol concentrations below 20 µg/dL, including 19 (27.1%) with severely low concentrations. Severe pneumonia was present in 32 (45.7%) children. Severe pneumonia occurred in 28/51 (54.9%) children with low serum retinol compared with 4/19 (21.1%) with normal serum retinol (OR=4.57; 95% CI: 1.33–15.67; p=0.015). In multivariable analysis, low serum retinol (adjusted OR [AOR]=3.92; 95% CI: 1.18–13.01; p=0.025), moderate/severe malnutrition (AOR=2.61; 95% CI: 1.01–6.74; p=0.047), and absence of previous vitamin A supplementation (AOR=3.36; 95% CI: 1.22–9.24; p=0.018) were independently associated with severe pneumonia. Lower serum retinol was correlated with higher respiratory rate and longer hospital stay, and positively correlated with oxygen saturation.
Conclusion: Low serum retinol was common among children hospitalized with pneumonia and was associated with severe disease. Because serum retinol was measured during acute infection, these findings do not establish chronic vitamin A deficiency, temporality, or causality. Larger prospective studies incorporating inflammatory biomarkers and convalescent retinol measurements are warranted.
Key words: Vitamin A; Serum Retinol; Pneumonia; Child; Malnutrition; Cross-Sectional Studies