6533b832fe1ef96bd129ab29

RESEARCH PRODUCT

TWO CASES OF NON-ALCOHOLIC WERNICKE ENCEPHALOPATHY SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY THIAMINE REPLACEMENT: DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS

Simona TalamancaAngela PumaGiuseppe CosentinoGiuseppe GigliaMaristella PanettaSimone VigneriFrancesca GigliaFilippo Brighina

subject

Wernicke’s encephalopathy thiamine total paren- teral nutrition

description

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurologi- cal disorder, due to a lack of thiamin (vitamin B1) which is observed mainly in alcoholic patients. Unfortunately, the syn- drome is underestimated in clinical practice and most often recognized only on autopsy, especially among non-alcoholics. The common clinical picture include mental status changes, ocular dysfunction, and gait ataxia. Treatment consists of timely thiamine replacement through intravenous infusion. We describe the case of two patients who developed a non-alcoholic WE post-surgical, regressed completely after intravenous infusion of thiamine. These cases suggest intere- sting diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2010-01-01
http://hdl.handle.net/10447/64045