RESUMEN
The stated frequency with which 30 Indonesian children with corneal xerophthalmia and age/sex/neighborhood matched controls ordinarily consumed vitamin- and provitamin A-rich foods was compared. Controls were more frequent consumers of eggs (p less than 0.05), fish (p less than 0.05), dark green leafy vegetables (p less than 0.05), carrots (p less than 0.01), and carotene-containing fruits (p less than 0.1). Similar data were collected on 358 children with Bitot's spots and on normal preschool age children in a countrywide survey. Breast-feeding was more common among normals than among cases (p less than 0.001). Normals were also more frequent consumers of mango and papaya during the 2nd and 3rd yr of life (p less than 0.05); and of dark green leafy vegetables and eggs during the 3rd through 6th yr of life (p less than 0.01). In two separate studies, differences in carotene consumption by normals and abnormals were confirmed by differences in their serum carotene levels. Approximately 80% of Indonesian families, with an without xerophthalmic children, consumed dark-green leafy vegetables at least once a day, and 99% at least once a week. Diet therefore appears to be an important factor in the genesis of xerophthalmia in Indonesia despite the availability of suitable provitamin A-rich foods.
Asunto(s)
Dieta , Deficiencia de Vitamina A/complicaciones , Xeroftalmia/etiología , Factores de Edad , Lactancia Materna , Carotenoides/sangre , Niño , Preescolar , Encuestas sobre Dietas , Huevos , Ojo/patología , Femenino , Frutas , Humanos , Indonesia , Lactante , Recién Nacido , Masculino , Vitamina A/administración & dosificación , Xeroftalmia/sangreRESUMEN
4595 pre-school-age children in six villages of West Java were examined every 3 months. The incidence of active corneal xerophthalmia was 5 per 1000 per year (95% confidence limits, 2.6-7.5), and the average prevalence during each round of examinations was 12 per 10000. In a randomised, multistage cluster survey of 27084 rural children throughout Indonesia the population-weighted prevalence of active corneal disease among pre-school-age children was 6.4 per 10000 (95% confidence limits 3.2-9.6), 53% of that in the longitudinal study areas. At an adjusted incidence rate of 2.7 per 1000 per year, over 60000 Indonesian children become xerophthalmic every year. By extrapolation of these findings about 500000 new cases of xerophthalmia, half of which lead to blindness, occur each year in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia combined.
