fursultiamin and Peripheral-Nervous-System-Diseases

Topics: Adult; Beriberi; Catheterization, Swan-Ganz; Female; Food Preservation; Food, Organic; Fursultiamin; Heart Failure; Humans; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Seaweed; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin B Complex

Peripheral polyneuropathy due to vitamin B1 deficiency was encountered after total gastrectomy for gastric signet cell carcinoma in a patient with a history of breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer. She had greatly reduced her intake of animal foods, believing that would be effective for the prevention of re-occurrence of cancer. Her daily intake of vitamin B1 was less than half of the usual daily requirement. Patients with malignancy tend to adopt unusual diets, and proper advice about food intake is important for such patients, especially those with gastrectomy.

Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell; Diet; Female; Fursultiamin; Gastrectomy; Humans; Middle Aged; Nutritional Requirements; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Stomach Neoplasms; Thiamine Deficiency; Vitamin B Complex

In Indonesia beriberi is still endemic, but subclinical cases are not uncommon. Three patients suffering from beriberi presented with different clinical manifestations. One had the classical features of Shoshin beriberi and the other two had the non-alcoholic cardiac beriberi (chronic type). The cardiac symptoms of all three patients responded dramatically to thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide; there was also some improvement of their polyneuropathy, consistent with the neurophysiologic findings and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). We conclude that SSEPs provide additional clinical information on beriberi polyneuropathy. The mortality of untreated cardiovascular beriberi is high. In view of the harmless nature of the treatment, a good case could be made for routine administration of thiamine to all patients in whom heart failure is present without clear evidence of the cause.

Topics: Adult; Beriberi; Cardiomyopathies; Cardiomyopathy, Alcoholic; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Fursultiamin; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases