Long-Term Maintenance of Normal Serum Vitamin B₁ Levels Is Associated with Better Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure

Abstract

Deficiency of vitamin B₁ (VB1), an essential micronutrient, causes heart failure (HF). A recent randomized controlled trial failed to show any improvement in HF prognosis after short-term VB1 supplementation. In the current study, we investigated the efficacy of long-term maintenance of normal blood VB1 levels in preventing adverse outcomes in patients with HF.

This study included 88 consecutive patients with HF who received guideline-directed medical therapy at Arida Municipal Hospital. The patients were divided into 3 groups: a control group with normal VB1 levels and no VB1 supplementation (normal group, n = 25), and those presenting with VB1 deficiency, who either required short-term VB1 supplementation (short-term supplementation group, n = 25), or long-term maintenance of normal blood VB1 levels (long-term maintenance group, n = 38). The time to the first appearance of composite outcomes, including cardiovascular death and hospitalization for HF, was compared between the 3 groups.

VB1 deficiency was observed in 63 (72%) patients. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the long-term maintenance group had better outcomes than the other 2 groups. In the multivariate analysis, long-term maintenance of normal blood VB1 levels and age were independent predictors of composite outcomes.

VB1 deficiency is frequently observed, and the long-term maintenance of normal blood VB1 levels may result in better outcomes in patients with HF. Our results suggest that the detection of VB1 deficiency and long-term restoration of VB1 levels may be part of the overall therapeutic strategy for HF.