The transketolase assay of thiamine in some diseases

Erythrocyte transketolase activity (ETKA) and the effect of adding thiamine pyrophosphate have been measured in a group of 27 healthy individuals and in 37 patients diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus, anemia, polyneuritis, or malnourishment secondary to vascular disease of the brain. The observed values for the malnourished group did not differ significantly from those for the control group. The low ETKA values in diabetes mellitus seem to be due to a reduced apoenzyme level resulting from the disease itself rather than thiamine deficiency. Polyneuritis patients had low values of ETKA. In the anemic group as a whole the values showed a difference of only marginal significance from those found in the control group, but the patients with pernicious anemia all had a highly significant elevation of the ETKA values. Although the absolute thiamine pyrophosphate effect differ, there are no significant differences in percentage of thiamine pyrophosphate effect between the groups. It appears that differences in the patient groups studied here reflect variations in apoenzyme levels rather than thiamine status.