Thiamin deficiency worsens symptoms of malaria
Thiamin deficiency seems to worsen the symptoms of malaria, according to researchers in the UK and Thailand.
The researchers compared the levels of thiamin in the blood of 77 patients with malaria with those of 50 people who had no trace of the malaria parasite in their blood.
The results showed that "12 of the 23 patients with severe malaria and 10 of the 54 patients with uncomplicated malaria tested positive for thiamin deficiency." None of the control patients had deficiency symptoms. Thiamin deficiency was especially pronounced in those who died from the disease.
