Absorption of vitamin A in patients with cystic fibrosis. Absorption is best with emulsified vitamin A alcohol.

Abstract

Vitamin A absorption tests using vitamin A palmitate and alcohol separately in oil and oil-water emulsions were done on 43 patients with cystic fibrosis. Patients were given 7,000 units of vitamin A per kilogram of body weight with a fatty breakfast. Pancreatic enzymes were not given with the test meal and were withheld for five hours from start of test. Blood was drawn before administration of the vitamin and at three and five hours after administration. Serum vitamin A levels were estimated using the Carr-Price technique. The percentages of patients with normal vitamin A absorption were 85 with vitamin A alcohol in oil-water emulsion, 61 with vitamin A alcohol dissolved in oil, 64 with vitamin A palmitate in oil-water emulsion, and 19 with vitamin A palmitate in oil. The number of stools per day is an inverse indicator of retention time in the intestine. Absorption of fat soluble vitamins is always abnormal when a patient has four or more stools a day. The observations that cystic fibrosis patients with abnormal liver biopsies have poor absorption of vitamin A were not statistically significant. The question of the effect of cirrhosis in cystic fibrosis on vitamin A absorption remains unresolved.