Vitamin Deficiencies and Supplementation

Although little work has been done examining the vitamin profiles of individuals following SCI, it is generally thought that vitamin deficiency is a significant issue. Moussavi et al. (2003) reported that 16% to 37% of community-dwelling SCI subjects had serum levels below the reference range for vitamins A, C and E compared with general population norms. A case-controlled study by Lynch et al. (2002) assessed complete blood count, white blood cells, iron status, ferritin, red blood cell folate, vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, albumin and prealbumin in persons with chronic SCI and compared values to those of age and gender-matched non-SCI controls. Results were not outside the normal ranges for either group; however, the SCI group had significantly different median values than the control group for hemoglobin, white blood cell count, albumin, pre-albumin, serum iron and percentage saturation.