Guide To Vitamin A Deficiency Symptoms

Dry And Scaly Skin

Vitamin A is a critical nutrient to the development and management of healthy skin tissues. This vitamin stimulates mitosis of skin cells and keeps the skin healthy by activating certain genes that cause immature skin cells to grow and differentiate into mature epithelial skin cells. Vitamin A is essential for keeping the epithelial layer of the skin thick enough to provide a satisfactory barrier to protect against exterior influences and conditions. Adequate levels of vitamin A ensure there are enough Langerhans cells in an individual's epidermis. Langerhans cells are dendritic cells specialized to stimulate responses from the individual's immune system when the skin becomes infected. Vitamin A is responsible for helping with glycosaminoglycan synthesis in the skin. Glycosaminoglycans are water-binding substances that help the skin hold moisture. Those deficient in vitamin A tend to develop excessively dry and scaly skin due to a combination of malfunctions in the aforementioned processes.

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Respiratory Infections

Vitamin A is an important component of the early development of an individual's lungs, including the formation of alveoli or small air sacs in the lung. It is imperative to the maintenance and regeneration of the epithelial lining inside of an individual's lungs, which is known to have a high cell turnover rate. The epithelial lining functions as a physical barrier to keep foreign pathogens and other substances from entering the inner body tissues. This lining also protects the body against numerous bacterial and viral infections through its signaling functions in conjunction with other components of lung physiology. An individual deficient in vitamin A will experience alterations in their lung parenchyma and pulmonary epithelial lining. These alterations impair the normal functional processes of defense that should occur in the lungs when making contact with pathogens, allergens, and irritants. Therefore, an individual who has vitamin A deficiency is more vulnerable to contracting respiratory infections than someone who has healthy lungs.

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