Reduced thiamine is a predictor for cognitive impairment of cerebral infarction

Objective: Reduced thiamine (vitamin B₁ ) had been reported to be associated with cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer disease. Our study is to explore the association between thiamine and cognitive impairment after acute ischemic stroke.

Materials and methods: One hundred and eighty two patients with acute cerebral infarction were recruited within the first 24 hr after admission. Thiamine and other vitamin Bs of peripheral blood samples were measured. Patients were divided into with poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and non-PSCI according to the score of MMSE and the degree of education.

Results: Reduced thiamine (<1.0 ng/ml) was independently associated with PSCI (OR: 2.033, 95% CI: 1.017-4.067, p = .045) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Advanced age, lower education, diabetes mellitus, left hemisphere infarction, and higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were also independent risk factors for PSCI.

Conclusions: Reduced thiamine is one of the predictors for early cognitive impairment in patients with acute cerebral infarction.

Keywords: cerebral infarction; cognitive impairment; dementia; stroke; thiamine.