In developing nations, vitamin A deficiency is a prevalent condition. Vitamin A malabsorption can also result from conditions that create irregularities in the digestive system.
A vitamin A deficiency can have a number of negative impacts on health because it is necessary for the maintenance of multiple bodily functions.
The severity and duration of the deficiency determine the range of effects, from severe to minimal.
When vitamin A deficiency is severe, it can raise mortality rates.The following list of consequences for human health results from a vitamin A deficiency.
NIGHT BINDNESS (Nyctalopia): The most prevalent adverse effect of Vitamin A deficiency is nyctalopia, sometimes known as night blindness. Nyctalopia is the human eye’s inability to see in low light. Night blindness occurs in those who are deficient in vitamin A, which is a major component of the pigment rhodopsin. Rhodopsin is located in the retina of your eye and is particularly sensitive to light. People with this syndrome can see normally during the day, but their eyesight deteriorates in the dark because their eyes struggle to detect light at lower levels.
DRY EYES (XEROPHTHALAMIA) : Xerophthalmia is a severe eye condition caused by vitamin A deficiency. Because this condition has the potential to result in irreversible blindness, significant therapeutic procedures are required. The condition is defined by abnormal dryness of the eye’s conjunctiva and cornea, as well as inflammation and ridge development. If left untreated, the deficit can cause corneal dryness, thickness, and ulceration, finally leading to irreversible blindness.
MEASLES: Children with vitamin A deficiency are more likely to experience severe symptoms and die from measles, particularly in impoverished nations. Taking high-dose vitamin A supplements may help prevent new infections of measles and reduce the chance of dying from measles in these youngsters.
IMPAIRED IMMUNE FUNCTION: Vitamin A is needed for immune system function. Vitamin A deficiency lowers the immune response by raising the quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals, which eventually reduces the immune system response and makes people more susceptible to infections. It can also decrease immune cell development and function, limiting the body’s capacity to fight diseases.
SKIN AND MUCOUS MEMBRANE ISSUES: Inadequate vitamin A can cause skin scaling, dryness, and roughness. It could also influence the mucous membranes, leading to dryness and crusting. In extreme circumstances it can lead to a disorder called phrynodermawhich is marked by skin lesions and follicular hyperkeratosis (plugging of hair follicles).
DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUEL AND GROWTH: Particularly in young children, optimal development and growth depend on vitamin A. Deficiency could cause poor general development, slowed-down bone development, and stunted growth. It can also lower fertility and compromise the condition of reproductive tissues.
MORE SENSITIVITY TO INFECTIONS: Maintaining the integrity of epithelial tissues including the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tracts depends on vitamin A in great part. Insufficient vitamin A could impair the integrity of these tissues. People so become more vulnerable to urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and respiratory diseases.
COMPROMISED MOTHER AND CHILD HEALTH: Pregnant women who have a vitamin A deficit run more danger for problems like anaemia, pre-eclampsia (raised blood pressure), and postpartum bleeding. It can also raise mother mortality risk. Deficiency of Vitamin A in children affects the foetus by slowing down development and growth as well as by raising susceptibility to infections and thus increasing death rates in foetus and kid.
COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Vitamin A deficiency in early childhood can lead to aberrant brain function, impaired cognitive capacities, learning difficulties, and poor intellectual performance.
DISEASES:
Long-term vitamin A deficiency can increase the risk of respiratory disorders like pneumonia as well as infections like measles and diarrhoea. It can also induce anaemia (a disease in which red blood cells do not provide enough oxygen to the body).
AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (AMD):
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the primary cause of blindness in the industrialised world, is the loss of central vision in old age. Vitamin A deficiency is most likely the outcome of cellular damage to the retina caused by oxidative stress.
DRYNESS IN HAIR
Vitamin A insufficiency can cause dry hair, which is one of the less severe signs.
