Decreased serum choline concentrations in humans after surgery, childbirth, and traumatic head injury

The serum levels of choline decreased by approximately 50% in patients having a surgery under general as well as epidural anesthesia. The decrease is lasts for two days after surgery. Intravenous administration of succinylcholine, either by a single bolus injection or by a slow continuous infusion, increased the serum choline levels several folds during surgery. In these patients, a significant decrease in the serum choline levels was observed one and two days after surgery. In 16 pregnant women at the term, serum choline levels were higher than the value observed in 19 nonpregnant women. The serum choline levels decreased by about 40% or 60% after having a childbirth either by vaginal delivery or caesarean section, respectively. Serum choline levels in blood obtained from 9 patients with traumatic head injury were significantly lower than the observed levels in blood samples obtained from healthy volunteers. These observations show that serum choline levels increase during pregnancy and decrease during stressful situations in humans.