title: [Vitamin B 1 deficiency in chronic alcoholics and its clinical correlation].
abstract: 50 chronic alcoholics reporting to the medical emergency ward of Basle University Hospital with alcohol-related illness were examined with respect to thiamine nutritional status by means of the transketolase activation test of erythrocytes (ETK). 46% of the chronic alcoholics, compared to only 2% of the control population (1152 healthy adults), had transketolase activation quotients indicating a strong probability of thiamine deficiency (alphaETK greater than 1.25). The most important symptoms associated with the biochemical parameters of thiamine deficiency were: anemia, pathologic liver functions (bilirubin, gamma-globulins), low diastolic blood pressure and Wernicke's encephalopathy. There was a statistically significant correlation (p less than 0.05) between these symptoms and the biochemical parameters for thiamine deficiency. Therefore, when treating chronic alcoholics, these symptoms should direct attention to a possible vitamin B1 deficiency. Since the enzymatic vitamin B1 parameters correlate with the patients' hemoglobin, our results would be consistent with anemia influenced by provision of thiamine.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013831:Thiamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000209:etiology; D014174:Transketolase / Q000378:metabolism; D014899:Wernicke Encephalopathy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D014174:Transketolase; D013831:Thiamine
vernacular_title: Vitamin-B1-Mangel bei chronischen Athylikern und sein klinisches Korrelat