Thiamine deficiency observed in family caregivers of AYA cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE

Although it is known that parents caring for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients experience physical and psychological stress, to our knowledge, there are no reports regarding thiamine deficiency (TD) in this population.

METHOD: From a series of cancer patient caregivers, we identified TD in a mother caring for an AYA cancer patient and report our experience with this case, as treatment enabled the prevention of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE).

RESULTS

A 49-year-old woman who had been caring for her 18-year-old son after he developed graft-versus-host disease following bone marrow transplantation for leukemia visited our psycho-oncology department at the recommendation of her son's attending physician after witnessing her son experience a seizure. Thirteen months after the initial consultation, she developed difficulty climbing stairs, suggesting a possible physical abnormality. Blood tests revealed a markedly decreased hemoglobin level of 5.7 g/dL, and subsequent evaluation led to a diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. Five days later, her thiamine level was found to be markedly reduced at 19 ng/mL (reference range: 24-66 ng/mL), and oral thiamine at a dose of 75 mg was initiated. No progression to WE, such as disturbance of consciousness, was observed.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE

RESULTS

Parents caring for AYA cancer patients are profoundly affected both physically and psychologically by their child's condition. In the future, attention should be paid to the nutritional status (including TD) of families caring for AYA cancer patients, as this may contribute to improving quality of life for both patients and their families.