Which blood cutoff value should be used for vitamin A deficiency in children aged 3-10 years? A systematic review

Author(s)

Collese, Tatiana S. ^[1] ; Norde, Marina M. ^[2] ; Nascimento-Ferreira, V, Marcus ; Kim, Hanseul ^[3] ; Marchioni, Dirce M. ^[2] ; Carvalho, Heraclito B. ^[4] ; Giovannucci, Edward ^{[3, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, Youth Child Cardiovasc Risk & Environm YCARE Res, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Nutr, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Harvard Univ, Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

^[4] Nascimento-Ferreira, Marcus, V, Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, Youth Child Cardiovasc Risk & Environm YCARE Res, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Harvard Univ, Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Nutr, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

• Document type: Review article
• Source: NUTRITION REVIEWS; v. 79, n. 7, p. 777-787, JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Context: Blood cutoff values for vitamin A deficiency in children aged 3-10 years have not been addressed in the literature. Objective: To identify blood retinol concentrations for determining severe vitamin A deficiency in children aged 3-10 years. Data Sources: The MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently extracted article data and assessed quality. Data Analysis: The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic models were applied for the diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis. This review is registered at PROSPERO (identifier: CRD42020149367). Results: A total of 15 articles met the eligibility criteria, and 9 were included in the diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis. The summary estimates (95%CI) were: Sensitivity, 0.39 (0.20-0.62); specificity, 0.79 (0.65-0.88); positive likelihood ratio, 1.85 (1.33-2.57); and negative likelihood ratio, 0.77 (0.60-0.99). The area under the curve of the overall analysis was 0.68 (95%CI 0.63-0.72). Conclusions: Blood retinol concentrations have low diagnostic accuracy for severe vitamin A deficiency in children aged 3-10 years. Therefore, there is unclear evidence about the preferable cutoff point for determining severe vitamin A deficiency in children in this age group. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/13620-3 - Is there a reliable reference value for blood vitamin A in children?
• Grantee: Tatiana Sadalla Collese
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/13922-1 - Validation of Dietary Assessment Methods in Children: SAYCARE Study
• Grantee: Tatiana Sadalla Collese
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 17/00547-0 - Association of the empirical dietary inflammatory index (EDII) and single nucleotide polymorphisms in inflammatory genes with a systemic inflammatory pattern in a population-based study
• Grantee: Marina Maintinguer Norde
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/03803-5 - Association of dietary patterns and single nucleotide plymorphisms in the genes of adiponectin, Toll like receptor-4, IL-1², IL-6, IL-10, TNF-±, CCL-2 and C reactive protein with a systemic inflammatory pattern at a population-based study - ISA-Capital
• Grantee: Marina Maintinguer Norde
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate