Understanding Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD): Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD)

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Hypovitaminosis A

General

Vitamin A deficiency is a lack of vitamin A in the body. Vitamine A is a class of fat-soluble substances. Vitamin A is essential for vision and eye health, immune function, skin health and more. There are two main forms of vitamin A: * provitamin A (mainly beta-caroten) – found in green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and carrots * preformed Vitamin A (retinol, retinoic acid and more) - found in animal sources of food such as liver, egg yolk and butter, and is also the form supplied by most supplements. vitamine A deficiency is common in poorer countries, especially among children and women of reproductive age, but is rarely seen in more developed countries.

70 people with Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD)

Learn from others who are experiencing Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD).

Signs & symptoms

symptoms include: * vision and eye problems - vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children worldwide. Additional manifestations include night blindness, dry eye, and more. * Poor bone growth * skin problems * increased infection rate

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of vitamin A deficiency is usually made by clinical findings but can be supported by blood tests to measure vitamin A levels.

Treatment

treatment include: * vitamin A oral supplements * vitamin A rich diet

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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