No difference in blood thiamine diphosphate levels between Swedish Caucasian patients with congestive heart failure treated with furosemide and patients without heart failure.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether furosemide treatment in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients is associated with thiamine deficiency. DESIGN: Patients without heart failure and without diuretic treatment were included to compare with patients with CHF belonging to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II and III-IV, respectively, and receiving furosemide therapy. SETTING: All patients were recruited from the emergency ward of the cardiology section. Huddinge University Hospital, where they were admitted due to CHF or acute myocardial infarction. SUBJECTS: Ninety-nine patients were included from whom a blood sample was taken, as well as routine admission blood samples for the analysis of thiamine diphosphate (TPP) concentrations. Patients taking vitamin preparations were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Blood TPP concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compared between the patient groups by the use of ANOVA. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the groups in blood TPP concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Thiamine deficiency may not be a complication of furosemide treatment in the studied Swedish patient population.