Vitamin A deficiency in critically ill children with sepsis

BACKGROUND: Data that indicate vitamin A status in critically ill children with sepsis are sparse. The association between serum vitamin A levels and the clinical outcomes of sepsis has not been well assessed. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in critically ill children with sepsis and its association with clinical outcomes. METHODS: Critically ill children with sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit were engaged in this prospective study. Sex- and age-matched approximate-health children from the Department of Pediatric Surgery were enrolled as the control group. Blood samples were collected from all patients in the first 24 h of admission for the measurement of serum vitamin A status. We compared vitamin A status between the sepsis group and the control group. In addition, we compared the clinical characteristics of the two subgroups of septic patients with vitamin A deficiency and those without vitamin A deficiency. Univariate and multivariable methods were used to evaluate the association between vitamin A deficiency and septic shock. RESULTS: One hundred sixty septic children and 49 approximate-health children were enrolled in this study. Vitamin A deficiency was found in 94 (58.8%) subjects in the study group and 6 (12.2%) subjects in the control group (P < 0.001). In septic patients, 28-day mortality and hospital mortality in patients with vitamin A deficiency were not significantly higher than that in patients without vitamin A deficiency (P > 0.05). However, vitamin A levels were inversely associated with higher PRISM scores in septic children with VAD (r = − 0.260, P = 0.012). Vitamin A deficiency was associated with septic shock with an unadjusted odds ratio (OR) of 3.297 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.169 to 9.300; P = 0.024). In a logistic model, vitamin A deficiency (OR, 4.630; 95% CI, 1.027–20.866; P = 0.046), procalcitonin (OR, 1.029; 95% CI, 1.009–1.048; P = 0.003), and the Pediatric Risk of Mortality scores (OR, 1.132; 95% CI, 1.009–1.228; P = 0.003) were independently associated with septic shock. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was high in children with sepsis. Vitamin A deficiency may be a marker of mortality in critically ill children with sepsis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03598127 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-019-2548-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.