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Case Reports
. 2021 Feb 5;92(1):e2021055.
doi: 10.23750/abm.v92i1.9473.

Apathetic encephalopathy in thyreotoxicosis: an unsual cause of wernicke encephalopathy and osmotic demyelinating syndrome

Carlotta Mutti  1 , Rosario Ciliento  2 , Liborio Parrino  3 , Irene Florindo  4 , Giovanni Pavesi  5 , Lucia Zinno  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Apathetic encephalopathy in thyreotoxicosis: an unsual cause of wernicke encephalopathy and osmotic demyelinating syndrome

Carlotta Mutti et al. Acta Biomed. .

Abstract

Non-alcoholic Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE) is an overlooked complication of malnourishment in all its forms including undernutrition, inadequate vitamine intake and endocrinological diseases. Both delay in treatment and overtreatment can lead to severe neurological life-long consequences. Inadequate management in patients with chronic malnutrition may cause abrupt osmolytes unbalance and subsequent osmotic demyelination syndromes. We describe a 65-year old man with apathetic encephalopathy caused by thyreotoxicosis and associated with malnutrition and severe thiamine depletion.

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Conflict of interest statement

Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article

Figures

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3T Flair MRI: Evolution of bilateral talamus hyperintensity at time point 0 (A), one month later (B) and four months later (C)
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3T Flair MRI: Evolution of pons hyperintensity at time point 0 (D), one month later (E) and four months later (F)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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