title: [Vitamin A status in patients with cholelithiasis].
abstract: In order to assess the status of vitamin A and determine the frequency of vitamin A deficiency in adults with cholelithiasis, we measured plasma vitamin A levels in 40 healthy subjects and 64 patients with cholelithiasis. Among them, 40 were icteric and the remaining 24 were anicteric. Vitamin A levels were determined in biopsied liver tissues in 26 patients with cholelithiasis. Plasma levels of vitamin A in patients with cholelithiasis was significantly lower than that of healthy subjects (P < 0.05). A significant difference of vitamin A in liver tissue was noted between these two patient groups (P < 0.05). The frequency of vitamin A deficiency, defined as a plasma vitamin a level below 90 micrograms/dl, was 50% (32/64) in cholelithiasis patients, 65% (26/40) in jaundiced patients, and 25% (6/24) in jaundice-free patients. We conclude that biochemical deficiency of vitamin A occurs in patients with cholelithiasis. We suggest that vitamin A should be evaluated in patients with cholelithiasis, and an effective therapy should be initiated to prevent vitamin A deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A