[Clinical application of fat soluble vitamins to retinopathy of prematurity and intracranial hemorrhage].

More than ten years ago, vitamin E supplementation was proposed as a prophylaxies against a syndrome that might be caused by oxygen toxicity and/or membrane instability such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and periventricular/intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH/IVH). The results obtained from several studies to date does not support the usefulness of vitamin E supplements in the prevention of BPD. However, several reports have suggested the utility of vitamin E in the prevention and/or inhibition of progress of ROP, although the use of vitamin E in premature infants for the possible prevention of severe ROP should still be considered investigational. On the other hand, the aggregate of evidence to date support the efficacy of tocopherol in preventing IVH of extremely premature infants. It is postulated that oxidative damage to capillary endothelial membranes of the subependymal layer predisposed the premature infant to subependymal bleeding and that vitamin E might act as an antioxidant to prevent such damage, thereby reducing the risk of hemorrhage.