study on the association between vitamin c deficiency and diarrhea in children

Conditions: Diarrhea; Infantile

Summary: diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five, althought it is both preventable and treatable. the causative factors of diarrheal diseases vary a lot from region to region (bacteria, viruses, parasites). diarrhea is one of the main causes of malnutrition in children under five years of age. inversely, nutritional deficiency, particularly vitamin c deficiency, can be a risk factor for diarrhea. the main objective of this study is to assess the impact of vitamin c deficiency on diarrheal infection in children aged 2 to 5 years in countries with a high diarrheal rate. this pilot case-control study will be conducted in metropolitan france, africa and south america. this question will be addressed by comparing vitamin c levels in children with diarrhea, regardless of the infectious agent, to levels in age- and sex-matched controls.

diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five, althought it is both preventable and treatable. the causative factors of diarrheal diseases vary a lot from region to region (bacteria, viruses, parasites). diarrhea is one of the main causes of malnutrition in children under five years of age. inversely, nutritional deficiency, particularly vitamin c deficiency, can be a risk factor for diarrhea. the main objective of this study is to assess the impact of vitamin c deficiency on diarrheal infection in children aged 2 to 5 years in countries with a high diarrheal rate. this pilot case-control study will be conducted in metropolitan france, africa and south america. this question will be addressed by comparing vitamin c levels in children with diarrhea, regardless of the infectious agent, to levels in age- and sex-matched controls. the study aims at (i) determining whether vitamin-deficiency may occurs in children living in developing countries and at (ii) determining the plasma vitamin a, c and e concentrations in children suffering of diarrheal diseases. a total of 360 children will participate to the study.

Eligibility criteria:
controls : inclusion criteria: * not suffering of diarrhea * no fever * no sign of infection exclusion criteria : * suspected or diagnosed infectious diseases * known genetic diseases * known diseases that may interfere with iron and/or vitamin c metabolism * known inflammatory diseases * malnutrition * diarrhea * fever * positive malaria rapid diagnostic test (africa) chronic diarrhea cases : inclusion criteria: -children suffering from chronic diarrhea defined by the emission of at least 3 soft or liquid stools per day for at least 4 weeks. exclusion criteria : * suspected or diagnosed infectious diseases * known genetic diseases * known diseases that may interfere with iron and/or vitamin c metabolism * known inflammatory diseases * positive malaria rapid diagnostic test (africa) * antibiotic treatment prescribed within 10 days prior to sampling * nutritional supplements in the three months prior to sampling * vitamin c supplementation in the last 3 months prior to blood collection acute diarrhea cases : inclusion criteria: -children suffering from acute diarrhea defined as 3 or more loose or watery stools per day for at least 3 consecutive days and up to 10 consecutive days. exclusion criteria : * malnutrition * suspected or diagnosed infectious diseases * known genetic diseases * known diseases that may interfere with iron and/or vitamin c metabolism * known inflammatory diseases * positive malaria rapid diagnostic test (africa) * antibiotic treatment prescribed within 10 days prior to sampling * nutritional supplements in the three months prior to sampling * vitamin c supplementation in the last 3 months prior to blood collection

Keywords: vitamin c diarrhea children