Journal
PEDIATRICS
Volume 132, Issue 6, Pages E1626-E1633Publisher
AMER ACAD PEDIATRICS
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-1684
Keywords
vitamin E; preterm infants
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Funding
- The National Institutes of Health
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- NICHD
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the impact of a single enteral dose of vitamin E on serum tocopherol levels. The study was undertaken to see whether a single dose of vitamin E soon after birth can rapidly increase the low alpha-tocopherol levels seen in very preterm infants. If so, this intervention could be tested as a means of reducing the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. METHODS: Ninety-three infants <27 weeks' gestation and <1000 g were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of vitamin E or placebo by gastric tube within 4 hours of birth. The vitamin E group received 50 IU/kg of vitamin E as dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (Aquasol E). The placebo group received sterile water. Blood samples were taken for measurement of serum tocopherol levels by high-performance liquid chromatography before dosing and 24 hours and 7 days after dosing. RESULTS: Eighty-eight infants received the study drug and were included in the analyses. The alpha-tocopherol levels were similar between the groups at baseline but higher in the vitamin E group at 24 hours (median 0.63 mg/dL vs 0.42 mg/dL, P = .003) and 7 days (2.21 mg/dL vs 1.86 mg/dL, P = .04). There were no differences between groups in gamma-tocopherol levels. At 24 hours, 30% of vitamin E infants and 62% of placebo infants had a-tocopherol levels <0.5 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: A 50-IU/kg dose of vitamin E raised serum alpha-tocopherol levels, but to consistently achieve a-tocopherol levels >0.5 mg/dL, a higher dose or several doses of vitamin E may be needed.
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