Red cell transketolase studies in a private practice specializing in nutritional correction

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Clinical Nutrition
• Public Health

Background:

• Nutritional deficiencies can significantly impact patient health.
• Assessing vitamin levels is crucial for effective therapeutic interventions.
• The prevalence of marginal nutritional deficiency in the US warrants further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of erythrocyte transketolase (TKA) and thiamin pyrophosphate percentage uptake (TPPE) tests.
• To determine the incidence of abnormal TKA and TPPE results in a patient population.
• To correlate laboratory findings with clinical presentation to underscore the practical value of these tests.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of erythrocyte transketolase (TKA) and thiamin pyrophosphate percentage uptake (TPPE) test results.
• Inclusion of 1011 patients from a private practice focused on nutritional correction (1983-1986).
• Selection of 36 representative patients with abnormal test results for detailed clinical correlation.

Main Results:

• Abnormal TKA or TPPE results were observed in 283 out of 1011 patients (28%).
• Clinical presentations of 36 patients with abnormal results were correlated with laboratory findings.
• The high incidence of abnormal tests suggests widespread marginal nutritional deficiency.

Conclusions:

• Erythrocyte transketolase (TKA) and thiamin pyrophosphate percentage uptake (TPPE) tests are valuable in identifying marginal nutritional deficiency.
• A significant percentage of the studied population exhibited biochemical evidence of thiamin deficiency.
• Marginal nutritional deficiency is a widespread clinical problem in the United States requiring greater clinical attention.