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Essential Fatty Acid Status in Patients on Long‐Term Home Parenteral Nutrition
Author(s) -
Abushufa Ramadan,
Reed Paul,
Weinkove Cyril,
Wales Shona,
Shaffer Jon
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/0148607195019004286
Subject(s) - parenteral nutrition , linoleic acid , oleic acid , medicine , fatty acid , palmitoleic acid , subclinical infection , endocrinology , biology , biochemistry
Background: Patients on total parenteral nutrition are known to be at risk of the development of essential fatty acid deficiency, presenting as a syndrome with scaly skin lesions and characterized by low plasma and erythrocyte linoleic acid concentrations. The essential fatty acid status of patients on long‐term home parenteral nutrition who do have access to oral feeds has not been studied. Methods: With the use of an isocratic high‐performance liquid chromatography method, fatty acids were measured in the erythrocytes and plasma of 25 nonfasting patients on long‐term home parenteral nutrition and the findings compared with those of 46 hospital outpatients not on nutrition support and five laboratory staff. Results: Statistically significant differences in the two groups were limited to the erythrocytes. Linoleic acid was significantly lower (25.2 vs 40.7 μmol/10 6 red blood cells, p <.0001) and showed a significant correlation with triceps skinfold thickness (r =.52, p =.013). Palmitoleic and oleic acids were higher in patients than controls (10.8 vs 8.4 μmol/10 6 red blood cells, p =.009; 61.2 vs 51.7 μmol/10 6 red blood cells, p =.003). Conclusions: Despite IV linoleic acid administration, patients on long‐term home parenteral nutrition have low erythrocyte stores of this essential fatty acid. This appears to be related to their low body fat stores. We suggest that they may be using much of the infused linoleic acid as an energy source and therefore are at risk of subclinical essential fatty acid deficiency. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrution 19: 286–290, 1995)