Is vitamin E depleted in Crohn's disease at initial diagnosis?

We measured serum and red blood cell concentrations of vitamin E and serum lipid concentrations in 13 inpatients at the initial diagnosis of Crohn's disease and compared them with those of 12 healthy controls. Although the serum concentrations of vitamin E were significantly lower in the patients with Crohn's disease than in the controls, the red blood cell concentrations of this vitamin did not differ between the two groups. The serum concentrations of total lipids and total cholesterol were decreased in the patients with Crohn's disease. A significant correlation was found between the red blood cell concentration of vitamin E and the serum vitamin E/serum total lipids ratio in both the groups. There was no correlation between the Crohn's disease activity index and serum or red blood cell levels of vitamin E. These findings suggest that the lowered serum vitamin E levels in patients with Crohn's disease are a symptom of hypolipidemia, and that vitamin E deficiency may not actually become a serious problem in patients diagnosed with Crohn's disease.