Vitamin A deficiency- how to cure?
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An 88-year-old female developed vitamin A deficiency manifesting as ‘itchy eyes' due to a bizarre dietary habit. Slit lamp examination revealed Bitot's spots and a subsequent vitamin A serum level test revealed severe deficiency. An electroretinogram showed grossly reduced a- and b-wave amplitudes consistent with generalized rod and cone dysfunction. How to cure this?
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@deepjoy-0 Vitamin A deficiency results from a dietary intake of vitamin A that is inadequate to satisfy physiological needs. It may be exacerbated by high rates of infection, especially diarrhoea and measles. It is common in developing countries, but rarely seen in developed countries. Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially those in Africa and South-East Asia. The most severe effects of this deficiency are seen in young children and pregnant women in low-income countries. Vitamin A deficiency can be prevented through a diet which includes:
Spinach, kale, collards, brocolli and other leafy green vegetables
Beta-carotene-rich fruits such as apricots or peaches, and highly-coloured vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potato
Milk or cereals that have been fortified with vitamin A
Liver
Egg yolks
Fish liver oils -