The value of measuring serum cholesterol-adjusted vitamin E in routine practice.
BACKGROUND
If the lipid concentration is not taken into account, then in certain situations the vitamin E status of a patient may be wrongly assigned based on serum measurement alone. In this study, the utility of using the calculated vitamin E:cholesterol ratio to determine vitamin E status was compared to the measurement of vitamin E alone.


METHODS
The vitamin E:cholesterol ratio was measured in 457 patient samples received for routine vitamin E analysis. Serum vitamin E concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection and cholesterol concentration, using a Roche analyser and reagents.


RESULTS
The mean vitamin E concentration and vitamin E:cholesterol ratio for the total study population was 22.0 micromol/L and 5.9 micromol/mmol, respectively. Of the 457 patient samples analysed, 57 (12.5%) were found to have a low vitamin E concentration, but only 25 (47%) of these patients had a low vitamin E:cholesterol ratio as well. Two patients both with cholestasis had a normal vitamin E concentration but low vitamin E:cholesterol ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
The determination of vitamin E:cholesterol ratios can be used to better define the vitamin E status of patients with disease states or disorders likely to raise LDL cholesterol, for example cholestasis. For the majority of samples, measurement of serum vitamin E concentration alone is sufficient to establish patient vitamin E status.
Clinical Biochemistry Department, City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham B18 7QH, UK. Loretta.Ford@swbh.nhs.uk
Loretta
L
Ford
Jayne
J
Farr
Paul
P
Morris
Jonathan
J
Berg
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood* / Q000592:standards*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
D014810:Vitamin E; D002784:Cholesterol