Vitamin C deficiency in a university teaching hospital.
OBJECTIVE
There is almost no information regarding the vitamin C status of patients treated in Canadian and American hospitals. We determined the prevalence and predictors of vitamin C deficiency in patients hospitalized on the acute-care wards of a Canadian teaching hospital, and tracked their plasma vitamin C concentrations while they were there.


METHODS
This was a population-based cross-sectional and time course survey of 149 medical patients shortly after admission to a university teaching hospital. The procedure for sample handling, storage and analysis was validated by measuring the vitamin C concentrations of a reference sample of 141 presumably well nourished people and comparing the results with published norms.


RESULTS
In keeping with published norms, 13% of people in the reference group had a subnormal vitamin C concentration (<28.4 micromol/L) and 3% were vitamin C deficient (<11.4 micromol/L). By contrast, 60% of hospitalized patients had a subnormal vitamin C concentration and 19% were deficient. A history of inadequate nutrition or failure to use a vitamin supplement prior to admission, low serum albumin, and male sex predicted plasma vitamin C deficiency, whereas use of a vitamin supplement prior to admission was associated with adequate vitamin C status in hospital. In a second measurement, obtained in 52 patients after an average of 17 days in hospital, vitamin C status had not improved.


CONCLUSIONS
Vitamin C deficiency is prevalent and sustained in patients in a Canadian teaching hospital. The abnormality can be prevented by providing a diet sufficient in vitamin C or by prescribing a multiple vitamin tablet.
Gan
Runye
R
Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Eintracht
Shaun
S
Hoffer
L John
LJ
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D001206:Ascorbic Acid Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014815:Vitamins / Q000097:blood*
D014815:Vitamins; D001205:Ascorbic Acid