Vitamin A for Complications of Extremely Low Birth Weight

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Vitamin A for Complications of Extremely Low Birth Weight

Chronic lung disease, intracranial hemorrhaging and infections often afflict extremely-low-birth-weight infants (<1000 g). In cases of premature birth, evidence of low plasma and tissue concentrations of vitamin A suggests that supplementation may aid in preventing some of these often fatal complications.

A study of 807 low-birth-weight infants (average birth weight 769.5 grams, and in need of respiratory support within 24 hours of birth) assessed the effectiveness and safety of vitamin A supplementation vs. sham treatment. Intramuscular injections of vitamin A were administered three days a week for four weeks at a dosage of 5,000 IU per day.

By 36 weeks, 15% of the infants in the vitamin A group had died vs. 14% in the control group. However, the overall incidence of complications (chronic lung disease or death) was lower in the vitamin A group (55%) compared with the control group (62%). Most significant perhaps was the observation that one additional infant survived without chronic lung disease for every 14-15 infants who received vitamin A supplements, and that little sign of vitamin A toxicity was noticed in the vitamin A group.
Conclusion: These findings support the use of vitamin A supplementation for extremely-low-birth-weight infants, particularly those requiring early respiratory support and who have evidence of vitamin A deficiency.
Tyson JE, Wright LL, Oh W, et al. Vitamin A supplementation for extremely low birth weight infants. The New England Journal of Medicine, June 24, 1999:340(25), pp1962-68.