Vitamin E

This test is used to find out the Vitamin-E levels in the blood. Vitamin-E is an essential vitamin which is naturally present in sunflower seeds, wheat germ, corn oil, almonds, peanuts, walnuts etc. It is also known as alpha-tocopherol, tocotrienol. Vitamin-E is a series of fat-soluble compounds called tocopherols. Alpha-tocopherol is the widely used form of vitamin-E.

What is Vitamin-E?

Vitamin-E is a major antioxidant in the body and protects the body cells from oxidative damage. It also protects the body from environmental hazards and acts as an anti-cancer agent. It improves the sexual function and prevents heart disease. It helps in healing of wounds, scars and prevents Alzheimer's disease. It maintains the biomembranes of nervous and vascular systems.

Why this test is performed?

The Vitamin-E Blood Test is performed to check whether an individual is having normal or abnormal levels of Vitamin-E in the blood. The doctor may ask to perform this test if an individual is suffering from symptoms like night blindness, decreased blood levels in the blood, problems with vision, abnormal growth in infants, muscle weakness, speech disorders, problems with balance and coordination, impairment of the immune response, etc. If an individual is on the treatment of vitamin-E then the doctor may ask to perform this test to evaluate and to check the effectiveness of the treatment and vitamin-E levels in the body. This helps the doctor to rule out the patient disease condition. This test is used to evaluate an individual with motor and sensory neuropathies. It is useful to monitor the vitamin-E status in premature infants requiring oxygenation.

Generally, when a patient is diagnosed with Abetalipoproteinemia (condition in which body doesn’t absorb dietary fats and causes vitamin deficiencies), intestinal disorders and malabsorption visits hospital for a check-up, the doctor may ask to undergo this test which gives a better status of the condition.

Precautions:

Drugs containing estrogens, vitamin-A, and vitamin-C may affect the test results. Hence, you are advised to inform your doctor about all your current medications before undergoing this test.

There is no need for medical interventions if test results are more or in a normal range.

If test results are less than the normal range, then it indicates that there may be a chance for Abetalipoproteinemia, irreversible motor and sensory neuropathies,

If you have been diagnosed with Abetalipoproteinemia (condition in which body doesn’t absorb dietary fats and causes vitamin deficiencies), your doctor may advise you to get this test done once in every 2 months to once in a year based on your clinical condition.