Vitamin A embryopathy

Overview

A morbid condition of the embryo caused by the consumption of excess Vitamin A during pregnancy.

Symptoms

* Miscarriage * Lower abdominal pain * Cramping * Vaginal bleeding * Dizziness

Causes

Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble vitamins that accumulate in the body because they aren’t dissolved and excreted in the urine. (See Important facts about vitamins A and D.) In most cases, hypervitaminoses A and D result from ingestion of excessive amounts of supplemental vitamin preparations. A single dose of more than 1 million units of vitamin A can cause acute toxicity; daily doses of 15,000 to 25,000 units taken over weeks or months have proven toxic in infants and children. For the same dose to produce toxicity in adults, ingestion over years is necessary. Chronic ingestion of only 1,600 to 2,000 IU daily of vitamin D is sufficient to cause toxicity. Hypervitaminosis A may occur in patients receiving pharmacologic doses of vitamin A for dermatologic disorders. Hypervitaminosis D may occur in patients receiving high doses of the vitamin as treatment for hypoparathyroidism, rickets, and the osteodystrophy of chronic renal failure, and in infants who consume fortified milk and cereals plus a vitamin supplement. Concentrations of vitamin A in common foods are generally too low to pose a danger of excessive intake. However, a benign condition called hypercarotenemia results from excessive consumption of vegetables high in carotene (a protovitamin that the body converts into vitamin A), such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and dark green, leafy vegetables. >

Diagnosis

The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Vitamin A embryopathy. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Vitamin A embryopathy has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Vitamin A embryopathy signs or Vitamin A embryopathy symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Vitamin A embryopathy may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Vitamin A embryopathy symptoms.