A Review of the Evidence for the Benefits and Safety of Adding Vitamin A to the Treatment of Six Common Health Problems in Children

Abstract

It has been more than 70 years since vitamin A was first reported to play a role in the treatment of measles. the addition of vitamin A to the treatment of other common childhood illnesses remains controversial, with differing guidelines. This review analyzes the strength of the evidence for the role of vitamin A in six common childhood illnesses. We found no published papers on the use of vitamin A in chickenpox or malaria. There is strong published evidence for the use of adjuvant vitamin A in children requiring hospital admission for measles and some evidence for its use in acute shigellosis. the available evidence does not support a role for adjuvant vitamin A in acute lower respiratory tract infections or acute watery diarrhea. There is insufficient evidence on the role of vitamin A in the treatment of persistent diarrhea, acute measles not requiring admission, and protein-energy malnutrition to guide policy