The thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxine status of patients on emergency admission to hospital

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of thiamin, riboflavin a nd pyridoxine deficiencies at admission to an acute hospital. One hundred a nd twenty adult patients were selected at random from those admitted via th e Accident and Emergency department over 3 days. Comparisons were made with a group of 80 healthy blood donors sequentially attending a local transfus ion centre. The alcohol intake of 500 patients admitted sequentially via th e same Accident and Emergency department was also assessed. Erythrocyte tra nsketolase (ETK), glutathione reductase (EGR) and aspartate aminotransferas e (EAA) coenzyme activation assays were used to determine thiamin, riboflav in and pyridoxine deficiencies. The prevalences of deficiency states in the inpatient group were 21, 2.7 and 32% for thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxin e deficiencies respectively with 49.2% being deficient in one or more vitam in. The mean alcohol intake in the group of patients in whom this was asses sed was 9.7 units per week compared with 10 units per week amongst blood do nors.