Low serum vitamin A levels linked to chalazion in children
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Low serum vitamin A levels were associated with chalazion development in a group of children in East China, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“We found that serum vitamin A levels were significantly lower in patients with chalazion than in control subjects, while the serum levels of 25(OH)D were not significantly different between the two groups,” Haixia Cheng, MD, and colleagues at Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University wrote.
The case-control study, conducted from January 2019 to December 2019, included 90 children with chalazion and 90 healthy participants (average age, 4.13 years). The researchers collected serum samples to determine levels of vitamin A and 25(OH)D.
According to the study, the average serum vitamin A levels in children with chalazion were significantly lower than in the control group: 0.54 ± 0.15 µmol/L vs. 0.60 ± 0.15 µmol/L, respectively (P = .01). However, no correlation was found between chalazion in children and serum 25(OH)D levels. Further, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in children with chalazion (52.2%) compared with those without (28.6%) was significantly different (P = .001).
Study limitations included a small sample size and a lack of international participants, with the researchers also noting that they did not consider clinical manifestations such as multiple chalazia and recurrent chalazion.
“Although the association between chalazion and vitamin A deficiency in children is
relatively clear, the molecular mechanisms need further investigation,” Cheng and colleagues wrote.
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