[Protein profile and vitamin A in children of school age in Ivory Coast].

The purpose of this transverse prospective study was to determine blood nutritional, immunity and inflammatory proteins change in vitamin A deficiency in children of school-age (262 children, aged 7 to 15 years). Blood vitamin A has been determined by HPLC with UV detection. Proteins have been measured by radial immunodiffusion according to Mancini. Results showed that 96 children (36.6%) presented a vitamin A deficiency (vitamin A < 200 microg/L with a retinol binding protein/transthyretin molar ratio = 0.29 +/- 0.06) while 166 (63.3%) children presented normal blood concentrations of vitamin A (vitamin A > or = 200 microg/L with a Retinol Binding Protein/Transthyretin molar ratio = 0.40 +/- 0.08). This study showed that the retinol binding protein and the immunoglobulin A are lower in children with vitamin A deficiency. On the other hand, an isolated increase of alpha-1 glycoprotein acid has been observed in boys with vitamin A deficiency. The vitamin A deficiency observed in this survey is due to a micronutrients deficiency in the diet which is essentially based on glucides. The positive correlation between vitamin A and immunoglobulin A concentrations might be the result of the vitamin A inductive effect during immunoglobulins A synthesis. The isolated increasing of alpha-1 glycoprotein acid in boys with vitamin A deficiency has been assigned to the ecosensitiveness of the unfavourable environment. We therefore concluded that, in Ivorian primary-school-aged children with vitamin A deficiency, nutritional, immunity and inflammatory proteins which are modified are respectively retinol binding protein, immunoglobulin A and alpha-1 glycoprotein acid.