SERUM VITAMIN-E CONCENTRATION IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE MULTIPLE HANDICAPS TREATED WITH ANTICONVULSANTS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 1  (2) , 129-134
Abstract
[Anticonvulsants, when administered for a prolonged period have shown several unfavorable side effects on the nutritional states of the subjects treated.] Serum vitamin E concentrations were measured in 47 severely handicapped patients, aged from 4-23 yr and in 22 controls. Handicapped patients (33) with seizures were treated with phenytoin and phenobarbital; the remaining 14 patients were not treated. The serum vitamin E levels were lower in the handicapped than in controls. Among the handicapped, those treated with anticonvulsants showed much lower levels of serum vitamin E than those untreated. Ten patients under anticonvulsant therapy were selected to receive d-1-tocopherol acetate, 100 mg/day, based on their low serum vitamin E levels (0.27-0.61 mg/100 ml). After 1 mo. of tocopherol treatment, both their serum vitamin E levels and hemolysis tests returned to normal. During a 3-mo. tocopherol treatment period, both the frequencies of seizure attacks and the EEG patterns remained unchanged. Supplementation with vitamin E is recommended in some patients under anticonvulsant therapy.