Text Box: ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE Faheem M S1, EL-Hakim I1, Essa S2, Khalil K1 1Department of Pediatrics,Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt 2Department of Biochemistry,Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt Objectives: We attempted to assess the pattern of antioxidant vitamins in pediatric patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and the effect of hemodialysis (HD) on them. Methods: The present study included 15 patients with CRF on maintenance HD (group A), 15 patients with CRF on conservative treatment (group B) and 15 healthy age and sex matched subjects for control (group C). All subjects discontinued vitamins before sampling by enough time. Retinol & α-tocopherol by HPLC and L-ascorbic by colorimetric method. Results: Plasma vitamin C levels were significantly low in group A in comparison with group B & C. Plasma vitamin A levels were significantly low in group B in comparison with group C. Plasma vitamin E levels were significantly low in group A in comparison with group B & C as well as in group B in comparison with group C. The dialysis session had significant lowering effect only on vitamin E. Conclusion: It could be concluded from our study that patients with CRF have some defienccy of antioxidant vitamins that might be exacerbated by HD. Thus this could contribute to the increased risk of infection in them and supplementation of those patients with such vitamins may help them. 2478