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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Developing a Point-of-Care Hemoglobin Estimation Method for Anemia Management
Published on: January 19, 2024
Vitamin B1 interpretation: Erroneous higher levels in non-anemic populations
Osman Evliyaoglu1, Josef van Helden2, Matthias Imöhl2
1Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry, RWTH-University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Objectives:
The aims of this study were to underline the interpretation of vitamin B1 and to evaluate whether differences in hemoglobin (Hb) levels and sex effect vitamin B1 results.
Methods:
Simultaneously, whole blood vitamin B1 and complete blood count were determined in 2238 individuals. Groups were categorized on the basis of sex and Hb levels. Significance and correlation between groups and reference intervals of the study group were determined.
Results:
There was an 8.4% (P < 0.001) difference between vitamin B1 levels of men and women, whereas the ratio of vitamin B1 to Hb showed a 0.12% (P = 0.921) difference. The reference interval for the ratio of vitamin B1 to Hb was 268 to 675 ng/g Hb.
Conclusion:
Vitamin B1 concentrations >48 μg/L should be interpreted with Hb levels to avoid postanalytical errors that mask deficiency. Therefore, in comparative studies, researchers need to pay attention to eliminate the effect of Hb on whole blood vitamin B1 levels.
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