Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
Trans-vivo Delayed Type Hypersensitivity Assay for Antigen Specific Regulation
Published on: May 2, 2013
Increased serum vitamin A and E levels after lung transplantation
Terence Ho1, Samir Gupta, Michelle Brotherwood
1Adult CF Program, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients experience significant increases in serum vitamin A and E levels after lung transplantation. It is unclear whether this finding is specific to the CF population or inherent to the lung transplantation process.
Methods:
The objectives of this study were to assess pre- and postlung transplantation serum vitamin A and E levels in subjects with end-stage lung disease secondary to all causes. The study population consisted of adults who received a lung transplant at the Toronto Lung Transplant Program between 2004 and 2009. The mean change in serum vitamin A and E levels pre- and postlung transplant was evaluated using a paired t test, while differences in vitamin A and E levels between CF and non-CF subjects were determined using a Student's t test.
Results:
Thirty-two CF and 21 non-CF subjects who underwent lung transplantation were included in the study. Mean serum vitamin A and vitamin E levels increased significantly after transplant, from 1.2 to 3.5 μmol/L (P<0.0001) and from 21.9 to 33.2 μmol/L (P<0.0001), respectively. The proportion of individuals with serum levels above the upper limit of normal increased from 7.6% to 88.7% (P<0.0001) and from 11.3% to 24.5% (P=0.02) for vitamin A and vitamin E, respectively. The dosage of vitamin supplementation did not increase after transplant.
Conclusions:
Significant increases in serum vitamin A and E levels were seen in both CF and non-CF subjects after lung transplantation. Further research is needed to understand the cause and clinical implications of these findings.
