Thiamine Clearance as an Index of Nutritional Status

Abstract

Four different thiamine clearance tests were conducted on each of thirty-seven normal and deficient adult subjects. These consisted of the measurement of the basal 24-hour urinary excretion of thiamine, the fasting 4-hour excretion of the vitamin, the response to the oral administration of 5 mg. of thiamine and the 4-hour excretion of the vitamin when 350 μg. per square meter of body area are administered parenterally. Plotting the results of these tests, one against the other, gave good correlation. The numerous advantages in the use of the parenteral test dose procedure make it the method of choice for studying clinical cases. All normal subjects, but none of the deficient individuals, excreted in excess of 50 μg. of total thiamine during the 4-hour period following dosage.