硫胺素缺乏：流行病學、病理生理學、臨床特徵，及實驗室檢查

Thiamin Deficiency: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Laboratory Test

硫胺素缺乏症會導致腳氣病及多重器官衰竭。在工業化社會中硫胺素缺乏的罹病率低，但在開發中國家（尤其亞洲）仍是重要的健康議題。本研究的目的是探討硫胺素缺乏的流行病學、病理生理學、臨床特徵及實驗室檢驗。以關鍵字“硫胺素”或“硫胺素缺乏”在PubMed學術網站上搜尋相關發表的文獻。硫胺素缺乏的診斷除了根據臨床症狀及實驗室檢驗外，給與硫胺素治療症狀可戲劇性的緩解，但若給予利尿劑治療，相關症狀若是更加嚴重可作為間接證據。對營養不良、心臟衰竭、糖尿病、長期靜脈灌注或減重的高危險群，需確認他們有足夠的維生素補充。

Thiamin deficiency (TD) can lead to beriberi and multi-organ failure. Despite its reduced prevalence in the industrialized world, TD remains a major health problem in developing countries, esepcially those in Asia. The purpose of this review was to examine the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical characteristics, and laboratory test of thiamin deficiency. Related literature was identified using keywords “thiamin” or “thiamin deficiency” to search PubMed. The diagnosis of TD is based on clinical symptoms and and laboratory test results. Thiamin infusion helps effectively alleviate its symptoms only for cases definitely diagnosed as TD. It should also be noted that a condition eliciting increased likelihood of developing symptoms of TD is diuretics administration to patients with heart failure. It is thus of great importance to provide adequate supplement for patients experiencing poor nutrition, heart failure, diabetes, long-term parenteral infusion, or surgical interventions for obesity.