The role of retinol in the etiology and outcome of suppurative otitis media

Vitamin A deficiency is still a serious public health problem affecting an estimated 127 million preschool children. The resulting immunological dysfunctions lead to increased risks of respiratory tract infections, diarrhoeal diseases and blindness, among others. The aim of this study is to determine the significance of the role of serum retinol in the etiology of acute suppurative otitis media (ASOM) and its chronicity (CSOM). In a prospective follow-up of patients with ASOM for 6–9 months, serum retinol determination was done using the high performance liquid chromatography. Participants comprised 358 ASOM and 52 control subjects. Six-month follow-up was achieved in 264 subjects (74%); of these, there was persistence of otorrhoea (CSOM) in 116, while 148 had resolved ASOM. Of the 264 subjects, 146 were males and 118 were females, between the ages of 6 months and 9 years and a mean of 7 years (SD = 2.32), whereas the control subjects comprised 29 males and 22 females, between the ages of 6 months and 11 years and a mean of 7.8 years (SD = 3.6). The range of serum retinol in the ASOM subjects was 1.63–2.64 μg/L, mean of 1.53 μg/L, median value of 2.61 μg/L and (SD = 0.16). Among control subjects, the range was 2.5–2.8 μg/L, mean of 2.58 μg/L and median value of 2.61 μg/L (SD = 0.14) (Table 1). The range of serum retinol in the resolved ASOM subjects was 1.61–2.63 μg/L, mean of 2.07 μg/L and median value of 2.09 μg/L (SD = 0.16) while the CSOM subjects ranged between 0.8–2.86 μg/L, mean of 1.58 μg/L and median value of 1.28 μg/L, (SD = 0.48) (Table 2). Univariate analysis using unpaired t test to compare the mean serum retinol revealed significant difference between ASOM and control (P = 0.0000) and between resolved ASOM and CSOM (P = 0.0000). In conclusion, hyporetinolaemia was a significant etiological factor in the etiology ASOM and CSOM, suggesting retinol supplementation as one strategy in control of SOM.