Vitamin A deficiency in Brazilian Children younger than 5 years old: a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: to examine the nutritional status of vitamin A in Brazilian children under 5 years old, delimiting their deficiency and associated factors. Methods: this is a systematic review of articles published between 2008 and 2018, using the SciELO, Bireme, and PubMed electronic databases. A validated instrument critically evaluated the studies. The summary measures were obtained by the random effect model, and their results are presented using the Forest Plot graph. The qualitative synthesis was based on the description of the main factors associated with Vitamin A Deficiency. Results: we included 14 cross-sectional studies with observations in basic health units, daycare centers, and households. The summary measure indicated Vitamin A Deficiency of 20% (CI95%= 17% - 23%), with high homogeneity according to the source of the sample. Lower age of the child, low birth weight, poor iron nutritional status, diarrhea, subclinical infection, inadequate basic sanitation conditions, younger mothers and less maternal educa-tion represented the main exposures associated with the outcome. Conclusion: the results show Vitamin A Deficiency as a public health problem in Brazilian children under 5 years old, especially when related to the development of infectious processes and maternal and child characteristics that show greater susceptibility.

Covid-19: Estratégias De Enfrentamento E Comportamentos Adaptativos Pelos Profissionais De Saúde Durante a Pandemia

“…11 In general, studies describe that HAIs tend to be more incident in ICUs due to the severity of clinical picture, immune compromise, and invasive procedures. [10][11] In the present study, from here, in another study, bloodstream infections were the most frequent (31%), followed by respiratory tract infections (20%). 11 Regarding the major HAI sites, the CDC/National Health Security Network (Rede Nacional de Segurança em Saúde -NHSN) describes the importance of relating infection sites in hospital settings.…”

Epidemiological profile of isolated bacteria in a public pediatric hospital

“…9 In a systematic review that assessed the main causes of hospitalizations of children in Brazil, with 11 articles included from 2008 to 2015, reported respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis as the main causes of hospital admission. 10 In the present study, the same circumstances or events observed were reported as causes of hospitalizations. Of particular concern is an increase in HAI cases, which may be related to failure to observe protocols for safety measures and precautions for infections, and the lack of a local antimicrobial prescription protocol.…”

“…HAIs are important adverse events that affect not only the permanence of admissions and costs, but also morbidity and mortality. [10][11] In UII and UIII, the overall rates of HAIs were 5 infections/1,000 patient-days and 14 infections/1,000 patient-days, respectively. The higher frequency of HAIs in the hospitalization units when compared to ICUs may be associated with a higher number of beds, professional turnover, people from different locations, and presence of relatives.…”

“…23 Data from literature referring specifically to the epidemiological profile of bacteria recovered from various secretions are not found. Generally, specific HAI studies address the prevalence of bacteria isolated from the bloodstream, surgical sites, respiratory tract, and skin separately, with reports of these same bacteria being frequent 7,[10][11] This study presented as a limitation the use of retrospective data. Brazil is marked by socioeconomic inequalities, and hospital institutions are heterogeneous in terms of organization, structure, and resources, with HAI data rarely disclosed and often not consolidated.…”

“…1 The implementation of preventive strategies for HAI control in health institutions, aiming at a better quality of care, has contribute greatly to the possible reduction of infection rates, although they may still be considered significant. [10][11] According to Infectious Diseases Society of America, among the most important clinical and epidemiological bacteria are E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp, denominated pathogens ESKAPE. 13 The ESKAPE pathogens are responsible for a substantial percentage of nosocomial infections and represent the vast majority of isolates.…”