This study looks at the clinical and thiamine status of 50 terminally ill patients who were admitted to a palliative care unit. Thiamine levels were found to be abnormally low in 28% of the patients and borderline in a further 36%. Cognitive impairment, as measured by the mini-metal state examination (MMSE) of Folstein, Folstein and McHugh, was present in 68% of those tested and a significant correlation was found between the MMSE status and thiamine levels.
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