Which condition results from a deficiency of vitamin B-1 that over time causes the heart to fail to keep up with an abnormally high metabolic need?

Which condition results from a deficiency of vitamin B-1 that over time causes the heart to fail to keep up with an abnormally high metabolic need?

• A. Beriberi heart disease
• B. Alcoholic dementia
• C. Wernicke's disease
• D. Korsakoff's psychosis

Answer: (A)

Thiamine (vitamin B-1) is a vital cofactor for enzymes that convert carbohydrates into energy. When thiamine is deficient, heart muscle cells can’t generate enough ATP to meet the body’s high-energy demands. Over time this energy shortfall causes the heart to fail at keeping up with metabolic needs, which is the classic picture of wet beriberi, also known as beriberi heart disease. This cardiovascular form of beriberi presents with heart failure signs such as edema and increased cardiac workload. The other options involve neurological problems from thiamine deficiency rather than primary heart failure. Wernicke’s disease is an acute CNS condition with ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and confusion; Korsakoff’s psychosis is a chronic memory disorder often following Wernicke’s. Alcoholic dementia is not a precise medical term for the thiamine-related spectrum.

Thiamine (vitamin B-1) is a vital cofactor for enzymes that convert carbohydrates into energy. When thiamine is deficient, heart muscle cells can’t generate enough ATP to meet the body’s high-energy demands. Over time this energy shortfall causes the heart to fail at keeping up with metabolic needs, which is the classic picture of wet beriberi, also known as beriberi heart disease. This cardiovascular form of beriberi presents with heart failure signs such as edema and increased cardiac workload.

The other options involve neurological problems from thiamine deficiency rather than primary heart failure. Wernicke’s disease is an acute CNS condition with ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and confusion; Korsakoff’s psychosis is a chronic memory disorder often following Wernicke’s. Alcoholic dementia is not a precise medical term for the thiamine-related spectrum.