Myocardial ischemia in an adolescent secondary to nutritional thiamine deficiency.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential vitamin found in most food products in developed nations. Deficiencies in this crucial vitamin lead to diseases related to nutritional needs, metabolic demands, enzymatic function, and neurological inflammation. We present an 18-year-old patient with a history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) dependence who experienced neurological manifestations and heart failure, likely due to underlying thiamine deficiency, dehydration, and vasodilation. The patient exhibited heart failure due to thiamine deficiency that was overlooked by her care team secondary to a reaction to preservatives associated with vitamins in TPN, lapse in communication, and decreased compliance.