Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición (Dec 2003)
Estado de vitamina A en adolescentes embarazadas de bajo estrato socioeconómico
Abstract
RESUMEN. La vitamina A es un micronutriente esencial para el crecimiento, especialmente en períodos de proliferación y desarrollo de tejidos como ocurre durante el embarazo. Ante una deficiencia materna no se acumula suficiente vitamina para suplir las demandas del feto, ocasionando la aparición de deficiencias subclínicas. Con el objeto de evaluar el estado nutricional de la vitamina A durante el embarazo; se estudiaron 75 adolescentes embarazadas (16,4±1,2 años). El retinol sérico se determinó en cada trimestre de embarazo, por cromatografía líquida de alta presión. El consumo dietario de vitamina A en cada trimestre de la gestación, se evalúo mediante dos recordatorios de 24 horas. Se aplicaron estadísticos descriptivos, distribución de frecuencia, prueba "t" pareada y de probabilidad exacta de Fisher. El promedio de retinol sérico disminuyó significativamente (pSUMMARY. Vitamin a status in pregnant adolescents of low socioeconomic income. Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient for growth, especially in highly proliferative and development stages as in pregnancy. When maternal vitamin A is deficient, fetal demands does not allow to maintain maternal reserves and subclinical deficiency appears. Due to the fact that pregnancy is a period of vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies, 75 pregnant adolescent (16.4±1.2 years old), were studied along prenatal control visits during pregnancy for vitamin A status. Data on serum retinol was obtained in each trimester through fasting blood collection, and determination by high pressure liquid chromatography. Two-24 hour recalls during each trimester were used to assess dietary intake. Statistical analysis (descriptive, frequency distribution, paired t-test and Fisher´s exact test) were performed. Mean serum retinol values decreased significantly (p < 0.05) along trimesters. There was not vitamin A deficiency by serum retinol indicator at any trimester, but at third trimester, 30.3% of the women showed marginal serum retinol values (20-30 m g/gL). Dietary intake, adjusted for recommendations for each trimester, increased significantly as pregnancy continued. These findings indicate that even though serum retinol (vitamin A) deficiency was not present at any time during pregnancy in these adolescents, risk of deficiency increased toward the end; and that the increase of vitamin A intake at the end of pregnancy does not change the decline in serum retinol. Monitoring and nutritional intervention of this vulnerable group is recommended in order to promote a healthy mother and newborn
