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What Is The Appropriate Intravenous Dose Of Vitamin E For Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants?

Journal of Perinatology volume 24, pages 205–207 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The Committee on Fetus and Newborn of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has endorsed 1 to 2 mg/dl as the normal range of serum tocopherol level. Our Cochrane review has shown that vitamin E supplementation resulting in levels >3.5 mg/dl, but not ≤3.5 mg/dl, significantly reduces the risk for severe retinopathy among very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants examined but increases the risks of sepsis and of necrotizing enterocolitis among infants treated for >1 week. As a fixed daily intravenous dose of vitamin E results in an inverse relationship between serum level and birth weight and is a risk for both low and high serum tocopherol levels, a dose adjusted for current weight appears more judicious than a fixed dose per day. Based on currently available data the AAP and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition currently recommend a routine intake of 2 ml/kg/day of MVI® Pediatric™ (2.8 IU/kg/day) in VLBW infants (maximum of 5 ml/day or 7 IU/day).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY, USA

    Luc P Brion & Lamia Soghier

  2. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Edward F Bell

  3. University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Talkad S Raghuveer

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  1. Luc P Brion
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  2. Edward F Bell
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  3. Talkad S Raghuveer
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  4. Lamia Soghier
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Brion, L., Bell, E., Raghuveer, T. et al. What Is The Appropriate Intravenous Dose Of Vitamin E For Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants?. J Perinatol 24, 205–207 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7211078

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