title: Vitamin E deficiency begins within 6 months after gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To clarify factors related to vitamin E malabsorption after gastric surgery, we evaluated serum vitamin E levels in patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 39 patients (26 men, 13 women; mean age, 61.7 years) who underwent gastrectomy for early gastric cancer. Surgical procedures included 24 subtotal gastrectomies and 15 total gastrectomies. We measured serum levels of vitamin E before and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after gastrectomy. A level of less than 0.75 mg/dl was defined as a low vitamin E level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum vitamin E levels decreased to less than 0.75 mg/dl in 6 (15.4%) of the 39 patients within 6 months after gastrectomy and in 7 (17.9%) of the 39 patients within 1 year after gastrectomy. The proportion of patients with a low serum vitamin E level was significantly higher in the total gastrectomy group (p = 0.002). A low vitamin E level was significantly associated with a low total cholesterol level. Total cholesterol levels in low vitamin E levels patients were lower than normal vitamin E levels patients. None of the patients with a low vitamin E level had neuropathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type of operation performed (total vs. subtotal gastrectomy) may be the major cause of vitamin E malabsorption after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Vitamin E deficiency probably begins within 6 months after gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan, rino@med.yokohama-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rino
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yukawa
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamagawa
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Atsumi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: Munetaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imada
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D002784:Cholesterol