Chan Kok Hoe, O'Sullivan Michael, Farouji Iyad, Are Gowthami, Slim Jihad
Internal Medicine, Saint Michael's Medical Center, Newark, USA.
Internal Medicine, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Maine, USA.
Cureus. 2021 Feb 17;13(2):e13389. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13389.
Vitamin E deficiency can be observed in patients with malabsorption syndromes or inherited diseases such as ataxia. It is unusual for it to be a result of dietary insufficiency due to its presence in a wide variety of foods. Patients with vitamin E deficiency can present with neuromuscular disorders such as ataxia, hyporeflexia, spinocerebellar syndrome, as well as loss of vibration and proprioceptive sensation. Herein, we are presenting a case in which a previously healthy adult with no family history of genetic defects and malabsorption syndrome presented with a characteristic sensory axonopathy associated with vitamin E deficiency without any evidence of fat malabsorption. Patient reported a markedly improvement of symptoms after three-month supplementation of vitamin E. The unique part of this case was that the patient presented with neuropathic pain associated with vitamin E deficiency without any family history of inherited deficiency or any malabsorption syndrome.