Suspected dietary-related Wernicke's encephalopathy. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pugh, Gregory; Iqbal, Hassan; Bramall, Jon
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Intensive Care Society. Volume 20:Number 3(2019:Aug.)
• Page Start: 274
• Page End: 276
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Wernicke encephalopathy -- thiamine deficiency -- ice cream -- nutritional requirements -- coma; Critical care medicine -- Periodicals; Intensive care units -- Periodicals; 616.028
• DOI: 10.1177/1751143718777167
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-1437

Abstract

A 64-year-old female presented with fluctuating level of consciousness of unclear cause. She had radiological features of right middle lobe consolidation and raised inflammatory markers, but normal computed tomography scan of head and normal cerebrospinal fluid results. She was intubated and ventilated with nasogastric feeding for four days and had fully recovered after six days. Upon recovery, the patient disclosed that she had maintained an ice cream-only diet for three years prior to this presentation. She was therefore diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy secondary to dietary insufficiency of thiamine, which was acutely precipitated by pneumonia and recovered following establishment of appropriate nutrition.