Table 3.
Mortality rate ratios (95% confidence intervals) for vitamin A supplementation versus placebo for different causes of death by season of supplementation and sex
| Cause of death, by season of supplementation | No of deaths* | Vitamin A/placebo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Boys | Girls | ||
| Malaria: | 32 | 0.9 (0.5 to 1.9) | 0.5 (0.1 to 1.5) | 1.4 (0.6 to 3.6) |
| Rainy | 12 | 2.2 (0.7 to 7) | 2.2 (0.2 to 23.8) | 2.2 (0.6 to 8.9) |
| Dry | 20 | 0.5 (0.2 to 1.4) | 0.3 (0.1 to 1.2) | 1.0 (0.3 to 3.3) |
| Septicaemia: | 26 | 1.2 (0.6 to 2.6) | 1.8 (0.6 to 5.5) | 0.7 (0.2 to 2.3) |
| Rainy | 15 | 1.2 (0.4 to 3.3) | 2.3 (0.6 to 9.1) | 0.3 (0.0 to 2.5) |
| Dry | 11 | 1.2 (0.4 to 3.9) | 1.0 (0.1 to 7.3) | 1.3 (0.3 to 5.8) |
| Diarrhoea: | 33 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.2) | 0.7 (0.3 to 2.0) | 3.7 (1.2 to 11.1)† |
| Rainy | 20 | 2.6 (1.0 to 6.7) | 1.1 (0.3 to 4.3) | 5.6 (1.2 to 25.5) |
| Dry | 13 | 0.9 (0.3 to 2.6) | 0.4 (0.1 to 2.1) | 1.9 (0.3 to 10.6) |
| Respiratory infection: | 25 | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.5) | 1.1 (0.3 to 3.6) | 1.2 (0.4 to 3.3) |
| Rainy | 12 | 2.2 (0.7 to 7.3) | 1.1 (0.2 to 7.6) | 3.3 (0.7 to 16.6) |
| Dry | 13 | 0.6 (0.2 to 1.9) | 1.0 (0.2 to 5.1) | 0.4 (0.1 to 2.0) |
| Measles | 16 | 0.8 (0.3 to 2.2) | 0.5 (0.1 to 2.1) | 1.4 (0.3 to 6.3) |
| Meningitis | 4 | 0.3 (0.0 to 3.3) | NA | NA |
| Acute febrile syndrome | 8 | 1.0 (0.3 to 4.2) | 0.4 (0.0 to 3.4) | 3.1 (0.3 to 39.6) |
| Other infection | 5 | 0.7 (0.1 to 4.1) | NA | NA |
| Maybe non-infectious underlying condition‡ | 14 | 1.4 (0.5 to 4.0) | 1.0 (0.3 to 4.1) | 2.1 (0.4 to 11.3) |
| Fever combined | 69 | 1.0 (0.6 to 1.6) | 0.9 (0.4 to 1.7) | 1.2 (0.6 to 2.2) |
| rainy | 30 | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.4) | 2.1 (0.7 to 6.1) | 1.3 (0.5 to 3.5) |
| dry | 39 | 0.7 (0.4 to 1.3) | 0.4 (0.1 to 1.1) | 1.1 (0.5 to 2.5) |
NA=not applicable.
*Total denominator was 3677.8 person years: 1915.4 in rainy season and 1762.4 in dry season.
†Significant difference between effects of vitamin A supplementation in boys and girls, P=0.03.
‡These children were judged to have died from conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome (n=2), hydrocephalus or increased intracranial pressure (n=3), and acute bleeding (n=5).