Vitamin A status in preterm neonates with and without chronic lung disease.

It has been proposed that there is an association between vitamin A (VA) deficiency and the development of chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm infants. This study was designed to measure the VA status in preterm infants and to compare the results in the group of babies who developed CLD with the group who did not. Vitamin A status was assessed by measuring plasma VA, retinol binding protein (RBP) and the plasma VA:RBP molar ratio in 25 infants of less than 31 weeks gestation during the first 28 days of life. Eleven babies developed CLD and 14 did not. There was no significant difference in plasma VA levels between the CLD and non CLD groups during the first 28 days. The majority of infants had adequate VA status, with a subgroup being deficient.