Vitamin A assay in burned patients.

A study of serum vitamin A levels in burned patients at the Vancouver General Hospital (1972-1973) is reported in an attempt to relate hypovitaminosis A to acute stress erosions in the gastrointestinal tract. Thirty-one patients were studied, of whom 10 had moderate to severe burns. Vitamin A levels of normal males and females at the Vancouver General Hospital averaged at 35 mug/100 ml. Patients with burn indices of less than 12 did not show any significant fall in serum vitamin A levels. The fall of vitamin A levels was greater as the burn index increased, and the fall of vitamin A level was noticed within 48 hours postburn and returned to normal by the second week postburn. In patients with severe burns and gastrointestinal bleeding with stress ulcers, the serum vitamin A levels fell more profoundly (e.g., 18 mug/100 ml). Four patients with gastrointestinal bleeding were detected, of whom three had acute gastric erosions with low serum vitamin A levels. The possibility that hypovitaminosis A is a contributing factor in acute gastric erosions of the gastric mucosa in severely burned patients is suggested.