Cardiac beriberi is considered a rare disease in western society. A patient with fulminant Shoshin-type beriberi was studied in the acute phase and found to have severe metabolic acidosis, high output biventricular failure, and markedly low systemic vascular resistance. Red blood cell transketolase activity was abnormally low. Following treatment with thiamine, diuretics, digitalis and oxygen, ...

Beriberi heart disease does not constitute a rigid syndrome because the severity of cardiac failure, associated leriplleral neuritis, other concomitant signs and syimptomiis, and response to treatment are variable. Five lpatiellts with peripheral neuritis, edema and evidence of cardiac failure are presented. All improved after treatment, and, in two instances, there was marked reduction in card...

In a recent Nutrition article, Bravata et al. [1] studied thiamine transporter genes in a patient with “sporadic beriberi.” This case illustrated how thiamine deficiency can present in clinical practice and why clinicians should be alert to its diagnosis and management. Thiamine deficiency is no longer a clinical curiosity or limited to populations with suboptimal access to food [2]. Deficiency...

1. A case is described of an Englishman who suffered severe 'wet beriberi' whilst a prisoner of war (POW) of the Japanese in World War II. 2. Following release he developed a congestive cardiomyopathy which increased in severity until his death 31 years after repatriation. 3. Autopsy findings were consistent with chronic cardiac damage due to beriberi.

Previous studies have suggested that diuretic therapy for heart failure may lead to thiamine deficiency due to the increased urinary thiamine excretion. Herein, we present the case of a 61-year-old man with shoshin beriberi, a fulminant form of wet beriberi, induced by long-term diuretic therapy. The patient had a history of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and was receiving furos...

Wet beriberi-induced pericardial effusion has rarely been previously described. Little is known about the effect of beriberi-induced pericardial effusion on hemodynamics. Here we present a case of wet beriberi with pericardial effusion that exhibited constrictive physiology, which was dramatically improved after treatment. A 61-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital for progressive ...

We report a case of a 58-year-old man with Shoshin beriberi who demonstrated ST-segment elevation and myocardial damage without coronary artery stenosis. The patient subsequently recovered with thiamine treatment. We conclude that it is important to consider Shoshin beriberi as part of the differential diagnosis in patients with shock and ST-segment elevation.