Congestive Heart Failure and Thiamine
Patients on the diuretic furosemide (sold under the brand name Lasix) tend to be deficient in thiamine. A study appearing in The American Journal of Medicine (1991;151-155) measured thiamine status in 23 patients with congestive heart failure who were taking furosemide. A high thiamine pyrophosphate effect, which indicates thiamine deficiency, was found in 21 of the 23 subjects. Thiamine deficiency was only found in two out of 16 controls. This result was confirmed by other research appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2006; 47: 354-61), which found that 33% of 100 hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure were thiamine deficient. Only 12% of healthy controls were found to be thiamine deficient. Beriberi is the disease of thiamine deficiency. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system and is characterized by an enlarged heart, and congestive heart failure. There is some research that indicates supplementation with thiamine may be of benefit to patients with congestive heart failure. A study appearing in The American Journal of Medicine (May1995;98:485-490) looked at 30 patients with severe congestive heart failure who were also taking furosemide. In the double-blind study, the patients were given either IV thiamine (200 milligrams per day) or a placebo. The thiamine group experienced improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction- increasing by 22% in 27 patients who completed the full seven-week therapy. The authors of the study concluded that thiamine supplementation would be a beneficial addition to conventional therapy for congestive heart failure.
If you are taking Lasix, ask the doctors at Fedorko Chiropractic Health Center if a thiamine supplement is right for you.