Maternal night blindness increases risk of mortality in the first 6 months of life among infants in Nepal

J Nutr. 2001 May;131(5):1510-2. doi: 10.1093/jn/131.5.1510.

Abstract

Night blindness occurs commonly among women during pregnancy in rural NEPAL: We examined the relationship between maternal night blindness and the risk of mortality occurring among infants in the first 6 mo of life. Stratified analysis by maternal night blindness status during pregnancy was done for 10,000 women participating in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin A and beta-carotene supplementation. Mortality of infants of non-night blind women in all three supplementation groups was similar, and when combined, was 63/1000 live births. Relative to this, mortality was higher by 63% [95% confidence interval (CI): 9-138%) and 50% (95% CI: -3 to 133%) among infants of night blind women receiving placebo and beta-carotene, respectively, but only by 14% (95% CI: -33 to 93%) among those receiving vitamin A. Thus, 6-mo mortality was higher among infants of women who had night blindness during pregnancy. Maternal receipt of vitamin A reduced this risk.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant Mortality*
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Nepal
  • Night Blindness / drug therapy*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / drug therapy*
  • Probability
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Risk Factors
  • Rural Population
  • Survival Analysis
  • Vitamin A / therapeutic use*
  • beta Carotene / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • beta Carotene
  • Vitamin A