Letter: Essential-fatty-acid metabolism in cystic fibrosis

Deficiencies of essential fatty acids and vitamin E in cystic fibrosis

In 25 children (13 male; 12 female) with cystic fibrosis aged 6 months to 16 years and 24 matched controls total serum vitamin E levels and fatty acid patterns of serum cholesterol esters, phospholipids and triglycerides are demonstrated. Compared to controls (1.02 +/- 0.24 mg/dl) the total serum vitamin E levels are significantly decreased in patients with cystic fibrosis (0.30 +/- 0.26 mg/dl) (p less than 0.01). There is no significant difference comparing the fatty acid patterns of the serum ester fractions of both groups. Differences can be seen best in the cholesterol ester fraction. In this fraction linoleic acid shows a trend to be decreased in the cystic fibrosis patients compared to the control group. A possible influence of height velocity on the levels of essential fatty acids is discussed.

Abnormal fatty-acid composition of plasma-lipids in cystic fibrosis. A primary or a secondary defect?

The percentage fatty-acid composition of the various plasma-lipid fractions from cystic-fibrosis patients with and without pancreatic insufficiency, obligate heterozygotes, and normal subjects was determined. Only the cystic-fibrosis patients with pancreatic insufficiency had significantly abnormal fatty-acid composition. This general observation did not correlate with vitamin-E deficiency, age, sex, or severity of the disease. Thus the altered fatty-acid composition of the different plasma-lipid fractions appears to be a secondary consequence of the pancreatic insufficiency commonly associated with cystic fibrosis and not a direct metabolic defect related to the cystic-fibrosis gene itself.