Abstract
Thiamine is an essential cofactor for 4 enzymes involved in the production of energy
(ATP) and the synthesis of essential cellular molecules. The total body stores of
thiamine are relatively small, and thiamine deficiency can develop in patients secondary
to inadequate nutrition, alcohol use disorders, increased urinary excretion and acute
metabolic stress. Patients with sepsis are frequently thiamine deficient, and patients
undergoing surgical procedures can develop thiamine deficiency. This deficiency can
cause congestive heart failure, peripheral neuropathy, Wernicke's encephalopathy,
Korsakoff's syndrome and gastrointestinal beriberi. In addition, thiamine deficiency
can contribute to the development of intensive care unit complications, such as heart
failure, delirium, critical care neuropathy, gastrointestinal dysfunction and unexplained
lactic acidosis. Consequently, clinicians need to consider thiamine deficiency in
patients admitted to intensive care units and the development of thiamine deficiency
during the management of critically ill patients. Intravenous thiamine can correct
lactic acidosis, improve cardiac function and treat delirium.
Key Indexing Terms
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 20, 2018
Accepted:
June 13,
2018
Received:
February 7,
2018
Footnotes
☆Funding: None
✰✰Disclosure: The authors have no financial or other conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
