Which vitamins should be assessed for non-responsive enteropathy?

• A. Vitamin B12 and B9
• B. Vitamin A and D
• C. Vitamin E and K
• D. Vitamin C and B6

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that non-responsive enteropathy often involves ongoing malabsorption in the small intestine, and certain vitamins are the most sensitive indicators of that dysfunction. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is absorbed in the terminal ileum with intrinsic factor, so disease affecting the distal small intestine can directly lead to B12 malabsorption. Folate (vitamin B9) is absorbed mainly in the proximal small intestine, so injury to the mucosa there also shows up as folate malabsorption. Measuring these two vitamins provides a practical way to assess the functional absorptive capacity of the small intestine and to guide supplementation if deficiencies are found.

The other vitamin groups rely more on fat absorption or broader metabolic factors. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K depend heavily on fat digestion and bile/pancreatic function, so deficiencies there are less specific to primary small intestinal mucosal disease. Vitamin C and B6 aren’t as routinely used as frontline indicators of small intestinal malabsorption in this context.