Vitamin E in neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia

The polyunsaturated red cell lipids of newborn infants show a greatly increased susceptibility to autoxidation; and this may be a contributory factor to `physiological' haemolysis. Vitamin E administered by mouth during the first week of life in relatively large doses reduced the susceptibility of red cells to autoxidation, but had no significant effect on the pattern of plasma bilirubin or haemoglobin changes.