Generalized edema and hyperdynamic circulation. A possible case of beriberi.

176 vascular web (fig. 1). The electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and incomplete right bundle-branch block (fig. 2). The echocardiogram on hospital admission showed enlargement of the left chambers, in addition to high values of shortening fraction and ejection fraction (tab. I). The results of the complementary tests in addition to the clinical findings were compatible with a hyperdynamic status of circulation. Because the patient had no anemia, hyperthyroidism, or evidence of arteriovenous fistula, the diagnostic hypothesis of beriberi was established. Three days after the introduction of thiamine, the patient’s edema improved, the cardiac murmur disappeared, and, on chest X-rays, the cardiac area decreased (fig. 3). The echocardiography performed 7 days after the introduction of thiamine was normal (tab. I). The patient has been followed up on an outpatient basis, currently being asymptomatic.