Levels and effectiveness of oral retinol supplementation in VLBW preterm infants.

Levels and effectiveness of oral retinol supplementation in VLBW preterm infants. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2018 Mar-Dec;32:2058738418820484 Authors: Garofoli F, Mazzucchelli I, Decembrino L, Bartoli A, Angelini M, Broglia M, Tinelli C, Banderali G, Stronati M Abstract Retinol palmitate oral administration is convenient, but it is difficult to assess/monitor its nutritional status in preterm infants and literature is controversial about the administration route and the effectiveness of vitamin A supplementation. We primarily evaluated retinol plasma levels to assess the vitamin A nutritional status in preterm infants (<1500 g; 32 weeks) after 28 days of oral supplementation (3000 IU/kg/day, retinol palmitate drops), in addition to vitamin A standard amount as suggested by European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) guidelines. We then observed the rate of typical preterm pathologies in the supplemented group (31 newborns) and in 10 matching preterm infants, hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the same period, who received neither vitamin A supplementation nor parents allowed plasma sampling. Oral integration resulted in constant retinol plasma concentration around the desired level of 200 ng/mL, but without statistical increase during the study period. Due to the complexity of vitamin A metabolism and the immaturity of preterm infant's organs, retinol supplem...
Source: International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Tags: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol Source Type: research