Vitamin E deficiency
Symptoms, at-risk groups, and clinical context for vitamin e deficiency. Sourced from NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and StatPearls.
Vitamin E deficiency is rare in healthy adults — almost all cases stem from fat malabsorption disorders or rare genetic conditions affecting vitamin E transport. Severe deficiency causes progressive neurological damage including ataxia and peripheral neuropathy. Premature infants are also vulnerable due to limited stores at birth.
Common symptoms
- Loss of balance and coordination (ataxia)
- Loss of position and vibration sense (proprioceptive loss)
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia)
- Numbness or tingling in hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy)
- Eye problems — limited upward gaze, retinal degeneration, reduced vision
- Hemolytic anemia (red blood cells more susceptible to oxidative damage)
- Difficulty walking, especially in the dark
- Slurred speech (dysarthria) in advanced cases
At-risk groups
- People with fat malabsorption disorders — cystic fibrosis, cholestatic liver disease, short-bowel syndrome
- People with abetalipoproteinemia (rare genetic disorder of fat metabolism)
- People with ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED — TTPA gene mutation)
- Premature or low birth weight infants
- People who've had extensive intestinal surgery
- People with chronic pancreatic insufficiency
- Note: vitamin E deficiency from inadequate diet alone is essentially unheard of
When to see a doctor: Progressive ataxia (balance problems, clumsiness), loss of vibration sense, or muscle weakness — especially in a young person or someone with known fat malabsorption — warrants neurological evaluation including serum alpha-tocopherol testing. Early treatment with high-dose vitamin E can halt progression and partially reverse symptoms in genetic forms.
← All deficiencies
Related deficiencies
Nutrients with overlapping symptoms — useful when investigating an unclear clinical picture.