Syed Mulazim Hussain Bukhari, Samina Naeem, Shahzad Shafqat Qureshi, Ghulam Rasul Qureshi, Naveed I A.
Role of Vitamin A in chronic skin diseases.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;12(4):236-9.

Objective: To see the beneficial effect of vitamin `A` on different non-neoplastic skin lesions. Design: An experimental study on the skin of albino rats fed on vitamin `A` deficient diet. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the animal house of Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore for a period of 30 weeks. Materials and Methods: Thirty albino rats were distributed in 3 groups of ten rats each as A,B,C. Group `A` (control) was given normal diet, while vitamin `A` deficient diet was given to group `B` and `C` for 20 weeks. Group `C` was given 10 g/g vitamin `A` supplemented in diet after taking skin biopsy at the end of 20 weeks for another 10 weeks. Group `A` and `B` were killed at the end of 20 weeks, while Group `C` was sacrificed after 30 weeks. Results: No rat showed any skin lesion in group `A` (control), taking normal synthetic diet, while 7 (70%) and 8 (80%) rats showed different types of skin lesions, in group `B` and `C` taking vitamin `A` deficient diet. In group `C` all lesions were recovered within 10 weeks of replacement therapy with vitamin `A`. There was no lesion after 30 weeks in this group. Conclusion: A large number of non-neoplastic skin lesions were observed during the state of Hypovitamin `A`. These disorders were treated completely by giving vitamin `A` replacement therapy.

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