Although vitamin A is thought to influence growth, the relationship between maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy and child growth is unknown. A longitudinal cohort study of 467 HIV-infected women and their children was conducted in Blantyre, Malawi. The children's weight and height were measured every 3 months until they were 24 months old. Maternal vitamin A deficiency was independently related to both linear and ponderal growth after adjustment for effects of body mass index, child gender, and child HIV status. By 12 months of age, infants born to mothers who were vitamin A-deficient during pregnancy weighed approximately 8% less (p < 0.001) and were approximately 2% shorter (p < 0.001) than infants born to mothers who were not deficient. This study suggests children born to HIV-infected women who are vitamin A-deficient during pregnancy are more likely to have growth failure.
PIP: During November 1989-August 1991 in Malawi, 567 HIV- infected mothers delivered at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. Anthropometric data on the children of HIV- infected mothers who were vitamin-A deficient were compared with similar data on those whose HIV-infected mothers were not vitamin-A deficient to determine whether maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy is related to child growth failure. Children born to vitamin-A deficient mothers had lower linear and ponderal growth than those born to non-vitamin-A deficient mothers (e.g., at 12 months, about 0.7 kg less [8% lighter] and about 1 cm shorter [1-2% shorter]). Maternal vitamin A levels, body mass index, infant gender, infant age, and infant HIV status were significantly associated with both linear and ponderal growth. These findings indicate that maternal vitamin A deficiency in HIV-infected mothers has an independent negative effect on child growth. In sub-Saharan Africa and India, on-going studies are examining the influence of maternal vitamin A supplementation on child growth and child survival.