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Case Reports
. 2008 Jan;23(1):106-9.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-007-0438-3. Epub 2007 Nov 17.

Thyrotoxicosis associated Wernicke's encephalopathy

James Bonucchi  1 , Ihab Hassan, Bruno Policeni, Peter Kaboli
Affiliations
Case Reports

Thyrotoxicosis associated Wernicke's encephalopathy

James Bonucchi et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Wernicke's encephalopathy is a rare disorder resulting from nutrition deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1). It is most often associated with chronic alcohol abuse. It can accompany other disorders such as hyperemesis gravidarum and hyperthyroidism.

Case: We present a case of severe Wernicke's encephalopathy that developed in a male non-alcoholic inpatient that was precipitated by poor nutritional intake and development of thyrotoxicosis. It is likely that the hypermetabolic state from thyrotoxicosis contributed to the development of Wernicke's encephalopathy, which was extremely debilitating.

Conclusion: Wernicke's encephalopathy is a severe, life-threatening illness that can be a consequence of hyperthyroidism in addition to alcohol abuse and can be easily prevented with appropriate supplementation of thiamine.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Baseline MRI performed before initial discharge back to prison showing no evidence of signal abnormality.
Figure 2
Figure 2
a Follow-up study 8 days after normal MRI (Fig. 1) demonstrates abnormal signal intensity in the thalamus and fornix and is enlarged in the axial FLAIR. b Signal abnormality is demonstrated in the pre-central gyri bilaterally. c Restricted diffusion is identified in the areas of abnormal FLAIR signal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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