What Parents Need to Know About Vitamin A and Measles
Recently, a few unreliable sources spread the idea that Vitamin A can prevent measles. This is not true. Do not give your child Vitamin A without your doctor’s recommendation.
Lubbock hospitals have reported some measles patients showing signs of Vitamin A toxicity. Here is what you need to know about Vitamin A and measles.
What is Vitamin A?
We all have Vitamin A in our bodies. It helps with our vision, bone growth, cell development and immune system. This vitamin is naturally found in a lot of our food. Vitamin A deficiency is very rare. Most people have one to two years’ worth of Vitamin A stored in our livers!
Less than 1% of people in the United States have a Vitamin A deficiency.
Putting too much Vitamin A into our bodies at once, like with a supplement, can be harmful.
Taking Vitamin A supplements, especially at the dosages some people are recommending on social media, will likely cause Vitamin A toxicity.
A deeper look
Vitamin A is stored in the liver. The liver releases the right amount of Vitamin A into the rest of our bodies as needed. But when there’s too much Vitamin A, our bodies cannot process or store all of it. This can throw many of the body’s systems off. Too much Vitamin A flooding the body can cause vomiting, dizziness, blood clotting issues and liver damage.
For more detailed information about how this works, check out this article.
Toxic doses
Some social media posts recommend doses of Vitamin A that are dangerous. Even a one-time high dose can be toxic. Our bodies can only handle so much Vitamin A at once.
Main takeaway: You and your child do not need to take Vitamin A, and taking it can cause harm.
Symptoms of Vitamin A toxicity
Acute toxicity happens when someone takes a toxic amount of Vitamin A.
- After 12 to 24 hours of toxic dose: headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, blurry vision, muscle and joint aches, dizziness.
- Chronic toxicity happens when someone takes too much Vitamin A over a period of time. These symptoms include:
- Skin lesions, skin lesions, dry and cracked lips, painful joints and muscles, fatigue, depression, anorexia, poor muscle control, alopecia (hair loss), visual impairment, blood clotting issues and liver damage
A deeper look
Where did this misinformation come from?
When someone has measles, their Vitamin A levels decrease. Because of this, people with the measles are sometimes given Vitamin A to make sure they do not develop deficiency.
But taking Vitamin A does not prevent measles. It should not be taken without a doctor’s recommendation.
Main takeaway:
Vitamin A supplements can cause toxicity in people, especially children. Some people urging people to take Vitamin A on social media are recommending doses that are far too high to be safe for children.
Vitamin A should only be taken at your doctor’s recommendation. The most effective and safest prevention against measles is the MMR vaccine. The MMR vaccine has helped keep us safe from measles for decades.
If you have questions about measles, the MMR vaccine or Vitamin A, talk to your doctor.
