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

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.