Is thiamine deficiency in elderly people related to age or co-morbidity?
T Wilkinson, H Hanger, P George and R Sainsbury Department of Health Care of the Elderly, The Princess Margaret Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; Corresponding author; Fax: (+64) 3 3377975; E-mail: tim.wilkinson@chmeds.ac.nz Objectives. To compare erythrocyte thiamine pyrophosphate concentrations in elderly people with those in healthy younger people; to determine if any differences can be attributed to age or to co-morbidities.Design. Cross-sectional and 3-year longitudinal surveys.Setting. Primary care.Patients. 100 volunteer blood donors and 222 elderly people from a general practice register.Measurements. Thiamine pyrophosphate concentrations using high performance liquid chromatography; physical examination, medical and medication history; grip strength, body mass index and plasma albumin.Results. The mean [95% confidence interval (CD)] thiamine pyrophosphate concentration was 152 nmol/l (147
