Use of vitamin E for prevention and treatment of spinocerebellar disorders

Abstract

Evidence has accumulated that vitamin E is essential for normal neurological function. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, and, therefore, deficiency states are most likely to occur in patients with fat malabsorption. If such patients have low serum vitamin E concentrations, it is important to initiate appropriate vitamin E therapy with the aim of restoring and maintaining normal serum vitamin E concentrations and preventing long-term neurological disability. This is likely to become a more frequent problem with the increasing survival of patients with chronic fat malabsorptive states. As a corollary, it would also seem reasonable to measure serum vitamin E concentrations in all patients with spinocerebellar disorders, whatever the supposed cause.