Thiamine and pyridoxine lack newly-admitted psychiatric patients

One hundred and fifty four patients admitted to a general hospital psychiatric unit with a history of poor diet were examined. Serum pyruvate was estimated in all, red cell transketolase in 74 and red cell aspartate transaminase in 66. Significantly more of the 58 abnormally low thiamine patients than of the normal thiamine group showed clinical signs of malnutrition or were diagnosed as chronic alcoholics, drug addicts, schizophrenics or endogenous depressives. Significantly more endogenous depressives than other patients had a raised aspartate transaminase activity coefficient (pyridoxine lack.) While most low thiamine findings are probably manifestations of malnutrition pyridoxine lack may have some aetiological significance in endogenous depression.