The Effect of Pyridoxine Deficiency Induced by Desoxypyridoxine on Acute Lymphatic Leukemia of Adults

1. Pyridoxine deficiency can be induced in human beings by giving large doses of desoxypyridoxine while maintaining the patients on a normal diet.

2. In four cases of acute lymphoid disease of adults some modification of the disease appears to have been accomplished by the induction of pyridoxine deficiency. In one case a brief clinical remission occurred which seemed almost complete.

3. Possible other effects of the deficiency were adrenal cortical degeneration and deposition of crystals in the convoluted tubules of the kidneys. The adrenal changes could well be due to postmortem degeneration.

4. Other toxic effects of the desoxypyridoxine therapy were not observed.

5. Further trials of this type of therapy appear to be justified.