Prevalence of Thiamine Deficiency in Pregnancy and its impact on fetal outcome in an area endemic for thiamine deficiency

Background Pregnancy is a metabolically challenging state with increased nutritional demand. Thiamine is an important cofactor in various metabolic pathways and thus its deficiency could have a serious impact on both maternal and fetal outcomes. Kashmir has thiamine deficiency in endemic proportions, with multiple reports of infantile beriberi, postpartum neuropathy, and gastric beriberi. This prompted us to assess the extent of the burden of thiamine deficiency during pregnancy. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of two years in pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic. A demographic, clinical, biochemical, and dietary assessment was done in all participants. The whole blood thiamine levels were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results A total of 492 participants were included in the study with a mean age of 30.30 +/- 4.57 years and a mean BMI of 24.25 +/- 3.32 Kg/m(2). The mean whole blood thiamine level of all participants was 133.29 +/- 14.32 nmol/L. Low thiamine status was present in 38.2% (n = 188) of participants. Participants with low thiamine had poor perinatal outcomes, with 3.1% (n = 6) reporting early infant death. Conclusion A high prevalence of thiamine deficiency occurs in pregnant women of Kashmir. Low thiamine is associated with poor nutritional status as well as poor perinatal outcomes.