Conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) to detect subclinical vitamin A deficiency: comparison of CIC with biochemical assessments.

By use of sensitivity and specificity analysis, conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) was compared with fasting serum vitamin A levels and relative dose response (RDR) of Guatemalan children. One impression was taken from the temporal bulbar aspect of each eye, fasting serum vitamin A levels were then drawn, 480 RE of oil-based retinyl palmitate was given, and a 5-h postdosing vitamin A level was drawn (RDR procedure). For a 20% RDR cutoff, the sensitivity of CIC was 23% with a specificity of 80% and a positive predictive value of 9% (n = 213 children). Compared with fasting vitamin A levels alone (with 0.70 mumol/L as abnormal), the sensitivity of CIC was 26%, specificity was 81%, and positive predictive value was 22% (n = 221 children). There was no significant difference in the mean serum retinol level between those with abnormal and normal CIC. In this study population CIC does not identify the same group of children with marginal vitamin A as identified biochemically.