Association of serum vitamin E levels with oxidative stress in a pediatric intensive care unit in coastal South India: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Increased oxidative stress leads to organ dysfunction in critically ill children. Vitamin E is a lipid-soluble vitamin that is protective against oxidative injury. We aimed to study the status of vitamin E and its association with malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress biomarker in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODS

This hospital-based cross-sectional study enrolled 60 children admitted to the PICU. Serum levels of vitamin E and MDA were determined at 24 ± 1 hour after admission. Patient details were obtained from medical records. Patients were divided into vitamin E deficiency group and normal vitamin E level group for analysis .The chi-square test, Mann‒Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation test were applied.

RESULTS

Vitamin E deficiency was detected in 46 (76.7%) children. The median value of vitamin E was 2.3 mg/L (interquartile range (IQR) 2.1-2.9). The median value of MDA was 4.5 nmol/ml (IQR 2.95-7.1). Decreased hemoglobin and increased C-reactive protein were noticed in the vitamin E-deficient group in comparison to normal vitamin E level group. There was a significant difference in the need for respiratory support (p=0.004) and any degree of organ dysfunction (p=0.01) between the two groups. There was no difference in mortality among the groups. Vitamin E levels were negatively correlated with MDA levels (rho= -0.270, p=0.037).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed association of Vitamin E deficiency with lower hemoglobin, increased CRP and heightened disease severity as evidenced by need of respiratory support and organ dysfunction. Vitamin E levels showed an inverse correlation with MDA.