Vitamin A,Carotin, retinolbindendes Protein und Präalbumin im Serum von Patienten mit cystischer Fibrose

Vitamin A, carotene, retinol-binding protein (RBP), and prealbumin (PA) have been measured in 42 children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) and in 92 normal controls. All patients with CF were on vitamin A palmitate in twice the dose for normals. For statistical analysis U-test of Wilcoxon, Mann and Whitney, parametric correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used. Compared with those in normal controls mean serum concentrations of vitamin A, carotene and RBP were depressed in patients with CF (P<0.001), whereas PA levels did not differ significantly from those of normal individuals. In normal controls there was only in serum concentration of PA an elevation with age (r=0.455, P<0.001). In patients with CF, serum concentration of vitamin A decreased in correlation with age (r=?0.423,P<0.01). PA and RBP as well as RBP and vitamin A were positively related in both groups (P<0.001). In normal individuals there was a highly significant correlation between serum concentrations of vitamin A and carotene (r _s=0.606, P<0.001), whereas in patients with CF this relationship was less significant (r _s=0.311, P<0.02).