Maternal vitamin A deficiency and infant mortality in Malawi

Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient for immunity growth reproduction cellular differentiation the maintenance of epithelial surfaces and vision. In developing countries vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of morbidity mortality and blindness among children. Findings are reported from a longitudinal cohort study conducted to gain insight into the relationship between maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy and infant mortality. The cohort was comprised of 377 HIV-negative women and their infants in Blantyre Malawi. 211 (55.9%) of the women were vitamin A deficient based upon determination of their serum vitamin A levels. Serum vitamin A levels were measured during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and infants were followed during their first year of life. 18 infants died (47.7/1000) during their first year of life. The mothers of these infants who died had lower serum vitamin A levels during pregnancy compared to mothers of infants who survived to age 12 months. Infants born to women whose vitamin A levels were in the lowest quartile had a 3-fold higher likelihood of dying than did infants born to women whose vitamin A levels were in the higher quartiles. These results suggest that maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy may contribute to higher infant mortality rates.