Is vitamin A deficiency a problem among pregnant Emirati women in Al-Ain City?

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) can have a negative impact on pregnancy but there have been no studies in Al-Ain on the vitamin A status of pregnant women. We studied 198 pregnant Emirati women aged 15-49 years attending antenatal clinics in Al-Ain Medical District (1999-2000) to assess the prevalence of VAD. Sociodemographic and health information about the women was collected by questionnaire and they all underwent blood and serum analysis. Of the 198 women, only 6 (3%) had vitamin A deficiency (plasma vitamin A < 20 microg/dL), indicating only a mild problem according to WHO criteria. There was no significant association between the occurrence of VAD and any of the characteristics studied. While the mean values of all the haematological indices were slightly lower in the vitamin A deficient group, this was not significant.