Comprehensive Anesthesia Care for the People of Chicagoland

Posted on 23 Jun 2025
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Does Vitamin Deficiency Affect Anesthesia?

Vitamins are essential micronutrients that support a wide range of physiological processes in the body, including metabolism, nerve function, and tissue repair. While most people associate vitamin deficiencies with fatigue or weakened immunity, medical research literature suggests that a deficiency can also have a significant impact on other aspects of health and clinical care, such as how the body responds to anesthesia. This is particularly relevant in surgical settings, where the effectiveness and safety of anesthesia are critical 1.

Several vitamins influence nervous system function, muscle activity, and the body’s ability to detoxify drugs, all of which are key factors during anesthesia, making a deficiency in them potentially relevant for anesthesia and surgical teams. For instance, B vitamins, especially B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cobalamin), are vital for nerve transmission and central nervous system function. Vitamin B deficiency may increase the risk of neurologic complications during and after anesthesia, including prolonged sedation or confusion in the recovery phase.

Vitamin D, another important nutrient, plays a role in muscle function and immune modulation. A deficiency in vitamin D may increase susceptibility to respiratory complications post-surgery, especially in older adults. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to heightened pain sensitivity, which may influence how patients respond to anesthetics and pain management after surgery 2–5.

Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, making it important for safety in anesthesia and surgery. A deficiency can increase the risk of excessive bleeding during or after surgery. Anesthesiologists must be aware of a patient’s vitamin K status, especially if they are taking anticoagulant medications or have liver disease, which can impair vitamin K metabolism 6,7.

Vitamin C and vitamin E serve as antioxidants that help the body handle the stress of surgery. These vitamins can influence how well a patient metabolizes anesthetic agents and recovers afterward. A lack of antioxidants may lead to increased oxidative stress during surgery, potentially slowing healing and increasing inflammation.

Additionally, patients with chronic conditions such as alcoholism, malnutrition, or gastrointestinal disorders may have multiple vitamin deficiencies that can collectively complicate anesthesia management. In such cases, patient optimization before the procedure and tailoring the anesthesia regimen to the patient’s unique medical condition can improve outcomes 8,9.

While vitamin testing is not routine for all patients undergoing surgery, preoperative assessments increasingly consider nutritional status, especially in high-risk populations such as the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, or individuals with restricted diets. In some cases, correcting a major vitamin deficiency before surgery may improve outcomes, reduce the risk of complications, and support smoother recoveries 10–12.

The relationship between vitamin deficiency and anesthesia is under ongoing investigation. Vitamin levels can influence how the body processes anesthetic drugs, responds to surgical stress, and heals afterward. As our understanding of nutritional medicine grows, so too does the importance of integrating nutritional status into comprehensive perioperative care.

 

References

 

  1. Vitamins: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002399.htm. (2023).
  2. von Känel, R., Müller-Hartmannsgruber, V., Kokinogenis, G. & Egloff, N. Vitamin D and central hypersensitivity in patients with chronic pain. Pain Med 15, 1609–1618 (2014). DOI: 10.1111/pme.12454
  3. Aribi, M., Mennechet, F. J. D. & Touil-Boukoffa, C. Editorial: The role of vitamin D as an immunomodulator. Front Immunol 14, 1186635 (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1186635
  4. Gunton, J. E. & Girgis, C. M. Vitamin D and muscle. Bone Reports 8, 163–167 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.bonr.2018.04.004
  5. Calderón‐Ospina, C. A. & Nava‐Mesa, M. O. B Vitamins in the nervous system: Current knowledge of the biochemical modes of action and synergies of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cobalamin. CNS Neurosci Ther 26, 5–13 (2019). DOI: 10.1111/cns.13207
  6. Vitamin K Deficiency – Nutritional Disorders. MSD Manual Professional Edition https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/vitamin-deficiency-dependency-and-toxicity/vitamin-k-deficiency. (2024).
  7. CDC. About Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding. Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding https://www.cdc.gov/vitamin-k-deficiency/about/index.html (2025).
  8. Research, I. of M. (US) C. on M. N. Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Immune Response: Recent Advances. in Military Strategies for Sustainment of Nutrition and Immune Function in the Field (National Academies Press (US), 1999).
  9. Jophlin, L., Liu, T.-Y. & McClain, C. J. Nutritional deficiencies in alcohol use disorder/alcohol-associated liver disease. Curr Opin Gastroenterol 40, 112–117 (2024). DOI: 10.1097/MOG.0000000000000999
  10. Matthews, L. S., Wootton, S. A., Davies, S. J. & Levett, D. Z. H. Screening, assessment and management of perioperative malnutrition: a survey of UK practice. Perioperative Medicine 10, 30 (2021). DOI: 10.1186/s13741-021-00196-2
  11. Gazouli, A. et al. Perioperative nutritional assessment and management of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Ann Gastroenterol 37, 142–154 (2024). DOI: 10.20524/aog.2024.0867
  12. Millikan, K. W. Preoperative Nutritional Assessment. in Common Surgical Diseases: An Algorithmic Approach to Problem Solving (eds. Millikan, K. W. & Saclarides, T. J.) 10–14 (Springer, New York, NY, 1998). DOI:10.1007/978-1-4757-2945-0_3.
Posted on 23 Jun 2025
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