Clinical signs found in association with nutritional deficiencies as related to race, sex, and age for adults.

Clinical signs of various nutritional deficiencies for 429 adults were compared by race, age, and sex. The nutrients studied were vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin C, vitamin D, and calcium. The prevalence of clinical signs of deficiency for all nutrients was much higher in blacks than in whites. Clinical lesions due to multiple nutrient deficiencies showed the same racial difference. Men had a higher prevalence of clinical signs for all nutrient deficiencies, except for vitamin A, that did the young. The racial and age differences in the nutritional status may be explained by the difference of educational and income levels. In comparison to the results reported from the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES), 1971 to 1974, the white subjects in this study had slightly higher prevalences of clinical signs than did those in HANES. Also, the prevalence of these clinical signs is much higher in the black subjects of the present study than in those of HANES.