Relationship among hemoglobin levels, serum retinol level and nutritional status in children aged 6 to 59 months from the state of Paraiba, Brazil

Objective This study investigated the relationship among hemoglobin level, serum retinol level and nutritional status in children aged 6 to 59 months from the state of Paraiba, Brazil. Methods This was a cross-sectional, population-based study with 1,108 children of both genders aged 06 to 59 months from the state of Paraiba. Hemoglobin (Hb) level in venous blood was determined by an automatic counter and serum retinol level by high-performance liquid chromatography. Protein-energy nutritional status was assessed by calculating the children's weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height Z-scores. Proportions were compared by the Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests and the association of hemoglobin level with retinol level and nutritional status by Poisson regression. Results The prevalences of anemia (Hb <= 11.0g/dL) and vitamin A deficiency (<0.70 mu mol/L) were 36.5% (CI95% 33.7-39.3) and 21.4% (CI95% 17.3-22.2), respectively. The prevalences of chronic malnutrition (HAZ<-2), global malnutrition (weight-for-age<-2) and acute malnutrition (weight-for-height<-2) were 7.3% (CI95% 5.8-8.8), 1.3% (CI95% 0.6-2.0) and 2.3% (CI95% 1.4-3.2), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that anemia was directly associated with low serum retinol level and chronic malnutrition. Conclusion The high prevalences of anemia and vitamin A deficiency require the implementation of effective prevention and control measures. The association between these nutritional deficiencies demonstrated that an improvement in serum retinol levels and nutritional status tends to reduce anemia in the study context.