Vitamin E

Overview

  • EPIC Code:
  • LAB130
  • Soft Test Code:
  • VITE
  • Send Out Test Code:
  • 931
Alternate Names
  • alpha-Tocopherol
  • beta-Tocopherol
  • gamma-Tocopherol
  • Tocopherol
Included Tests

Vitamin E alpha-Tocopherol; Vitamin E gamma-Tocopherol


Clinical Significance

Deficiency of vitamin E may cause extensive neuropathy in young children and, in additon, is suspect as a possible cause of motor and sensory neuropathy in older children and in adults. One likely cause of vitamin E deficiency is intestinal malabsorption, resulting from bowel disease, pancreatic disease, or chronic cholestasis.
Other causes of malabsorption of vitamin E include celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and intestinal lymphangiectasia.


Specimen Collection & Preparation

Patient Preparation

Overnight fasting is preferred


Specimen Requirements:

-OR-

2.0 mL Serum from a SST Gold Top Tube in an Amber Vial
Minimum Volume:
0.5 mL Serum
Specimen Information:

Protect From Light (PRF)


Processing Instructions:

Separate from cells as soon as specimen has clotted

Place serum in an Amber Vial to protect from light immediately after centrifuged


Rejection Criteria:

Ambient

Not light protected

Grossly hemolyzed

Heavily lipemic serum

Received in serum separator tube or red-top tube (no gel) collection tube

Plasma


Transport and Storage:
  • Ambient: 24 hours
  • Refrigerated: 7 days

    Transport on cold packs

  • Frozen (-20 C or colder): 28 days
  • Ultra Frozen (-70 C or colder or by dry ice):

    Ship on dry ice

Clinical Interpretation

Reference Range:

Please refer to interpretive report


Test Comments:

Vitamin E nutritional status should be evaluated along with serum lipids, since Vitamin E/lipid ratio gives a more accurate assessment of Vitamin E status than single serum Vitamin E.


Methodology:
  • High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Clinical Significance

Deficiency of vitamin E may cause extensive neuropathy in young children and, in additon, is suspect as a possible cause of motor and sensory neuropathy in older children and in adults. One likely cause of vitamin E deficiency is intestinal malabsorption, resulting from bowel disease, pancreatic disease, or chronic cholestasis.
Other causes of malabsorption of vitamin E include celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and intestinal lymphangiectasia.


Production Schedule

Sites Performed
  • Quest - Chantilly
Days Performed
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Departments
  • Sendouts - Clinical
Turn Around Time

4 to 6 days


Coding & Compliance

CDM

00914446, 00914451


CPT Coding

84446, 84591