Table 3.
Serum retinol and retinol-binding protein concentrations in infants and mothers after supplementation
| Vitamin A | Placebo | Mean difference or risk difference (95% CI) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Infants at age 2 weeks
| ||||
| Number tested | 277 | 284 | ·· | ·· |
| Infants with serum retinol results | 255 (92%) | 265 (93%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol (μmol/L) | 0·69 (0·20) | 0·69 (0·22) | 0 (0–40·03) | 0·930 |
| Serum retinol <1·05 μmol/L | 240 (94%) | 249 (94%) | 0·16 (−3·91 to 4·23) | 0·940 |
| Serum retinol <0·70 μmol/L | 144 (57%) | 142 (54%) | 2·89 (−5·66 to 11·43) | 0·508 |
| Serum retinol <0·35 μmol/L | 4 (2%) | 8 (3%) | −1·45 (−4·01 to 1·11) | 0·383* |
| Infants with serum retinol-binding protein results | 277 (100%) | 284 (100%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol-binding protein in μmol/L | 0·79 (0·20) | 0·80 (0·23) | −0·01 (−0·05 to 0·02) | 0·429 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·70 μmol/L | 98 (35%) | 91 (32%) | 3·34(−4·48 to 11·16) | 0·403 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·35 μmol/L | 1 (<1%) | 3 (1%) | −0·70(−2·08 to 0·69) | 0·624* |
|
| ||||
|
Infants at age 3 months
| ||||
| Number tested | 280 | 266 | ·· | ·· |
| Infants with serum retinol results | 271 (97%) | 255 (96%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol (μmol/L) | 0·72 (0·23) | 0·68 (0·24) | 0·04 (0–0·08) | 0·035 |
| Serum retinol <1·05 μmol/L | 250 (92%) | 238 (93%) | −1·08 (−5·50 to 3·33) | 0·632 |
| Serum retinol <0·70 μmol/L | 138 (51%) | 157 (62%) | −10·65 (−19·08 to 2·22) | 0·014 |
| Serum retinol <0·35 μmol/L | 8 (3%) | 7 (3%) | 0·21 (−2·64 to 3·05) | 0·887 |
| Infants with serum retinol-binding protein results | 280 (100%) | 266 (100%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol-binding protein (μmol/L) | 0·77 (0·20) | 0·74 (0·24) | 0·03 (0–0·07) | 0·075 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·70 μmol/L | 115 (41%) | 133 (50%) | −8·93 (−17·25 to 0·6) | 0·036 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·35 μmol/L | 2 (1%) | 2 (1%) | −0·04 (−1·47 to 1·39) | 1·000* |
|
| ||||
|
Mothers
| ||||
| Number tested | 262 | 253 | ·· | ·· |
| Mothers with serum retinol results | 262 (100%) | 253 (100%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol (μmol/L) | 1·25 (0·42) | 1·22 (0·39) | 0·03 (−0·04 to 0·10) | 0·418 |
| Serum retinol <1·05 μmol/L | 82 (31%) | 90 (36%) | −4·28 (−12·42 to 3·87) | 0·304 |
| Serum retinol <0·70 μmol/L | 13 (5%) | 21 (8%) | −3·34 (−7·64 to 0·96) | 0·127 |
| Serum retinol <0·35 μmol/L | 0 | 2 (1%) | −0·79 (−1·88 to 0·3) | 0·241* |
| Mothers with serum retinol-binding protein results | 262 (100%) | 253 (100%) | ·· | ·· |
| Mean serum retinol-binding protein (μmol/L) | 1·23 (0·39) | 1·21 (0·34) | 0·02 (−0·05 to 0·08) | 0·566 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·70 μmol/L | 16 (6%) | 12 (5%) | 1·36 (−2·54 to 5·27) | 0·495 |
| Retinol-binding protein <0·35 μmol/L | 0 | 0 | ·· | ·· |
*
Calculated with Fisher’s exact test p value.