OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between serum and colostrum retinol levels and maternal and obstetric characteristics of women attending a Brazilian public maternity hospital, and to establish the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in this population. METHODS: This cross sectional study included 97 healthy postpartum women classified according to age, nutritional status, parity, mode of delivery, newborn's weight and gestational age. Three samples of colostrum pool and a single serum sample were collected after overnight fasting in the immediate postpartum period. Retinol was analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. To characterize the nutritional status of vitamin A, a cutoff for serum (30 µg/dL) and colostrum (60µg/dL) was adopted. RESULTS: Mean levels of serum (43µg/dL) and colostrum (60µg/dL) retinol showed adequate vitamin A nutritional status in the whole sample. High prevalence of subclinical VAD was assessed on the basis of cutoff points for serum and colostrum retinol levels: 15 and 50%, respectively. No significant correlation was found between maternal, obstetric and newborn characteristics and serum and colostrum retinol profile in the studied mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of VAD occurs in postpartum women regardless of the maternal and obstetric characteristics considered. This finding reinforces the need for special attention during prenatal care for all pregnant women in order to avoid the onset of VAD and to ensure the reduction of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality rates.
pospartum; colostrum; serum; breast feeding; vitamin A deficiency
