Wet beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) are caused by thiamine deficiency and are potentially lethal and serious diseases. Thiamine deficiency occurs mainly due to poor oral intake or inadequate provision of thiamine in enteral or parenteral nutrition therapy. We report cases of wet beriberi and WE that developed after surgery in a surgical intensive care unit. The first patient, who was diagnosed with wet beriberi, underwent right total mastectomy and radical subtotal gastrectomy, simultaneously. The second was diagnosed with irreversible WE, respectively, due to long-term malnutrition. In both cases, intravenous replacement of thiamine was initiated after the admission to the surgical intensive care unit. However, comatose mentality of the second patient did not improve. As a result, we conclude that, if a patient's clinical feature is suspected to be thiamine deficiency, prompt intravenous thiamine replacement is needed.
Beriberi ; Coma ; Critical Illness ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Malnutrition ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Severe hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a rare but potentially devastating complication of pregnancy. It can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition (especially, thiamine deficiency), and compromised renal function. We report a case of acute renal failure (ARF) with Wernicke's encephalopathy and beriberi due to severe HG. A 35-year-old woman at 16 weeks of gestation presented with confused mentality, quadriparesis, nystagmus, peripheral neuropathy, and tachycardia after prolonged nausea and vomiting. Her initial serum creatinine and blood urea were 2.6 mg/dL and 100 mg/dL, respectively. FLAIR image of the initial MR examination demonstrated bilateral symmetric high signal intensities in the medial and dorsal thalami. Echocardiography showed left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction. We thought that ARF, Wernicke's encephalopathy and beriberi were resulted from dehydration and thiamine deficiency due to HG. She was managed with intravenous fluid and 100-200 mg of parenteral thiamine. ARF was improved within one week and echocardiographic findings were normalized within 1 month. MR examination at the 21st week of pregnancy showed a decreased size of the lesion. After 4 months, her neuroloic status was recovered.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Adult ; Beriberi* ; Creatinine ; Dehydration ; Dilatation ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperemesis Gravidarum* ; Malnutrition ; Nausea ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Pregnancy ; Quadriplegia ; Tachycardia ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Urea ; Vomiting ; Wernicke Encephalopathy*

Thiamine (vitamin B1) serves as an important cofactor in body metabolism and energy production. It is related with the biosynthesis of neurotransmitters and the production of substances used in defense against oxidant stress. Thus, a lack of thiamine affects several organ systems, in particular the cardiovascular and nervous system. The cardiac insufficiency caused by thiamine deficiency is known as cardiac beriberi, with this condition resulting from unbalanced nutrition and chronic excessive alcohol intake. Given that the disease is now very rare in developed nations such as Korea, it is frequently missed by cardiologists, with potentially fatal consequences. Herein, we present a case study in order to draw attention to cardiac beriberi. We believe that this case will be helpful for young cardiologists, reminding them of the importance of this forgotten but memorable disease.
Beriberi ; Cardiovascular System ; Developed Countries ; Korea ; Nervous System ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency

Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute-onset illness characterized by mental confusion, ataxia and ophthalmoplegia due to a thiamine deficiency. Immediate administration of thiamine prevents progression of the disease and reverses brain lesions. We have experienced a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy associated with hyperemesis gravidarum. As Wernicke's encephalopathy is mostly associated with chronic alcoholism, the possibility of Wernicke's encephalopathy may be ignored in young women. We emphasize the need for thiamine supplementation in the patient requiring intravenous alimentation such as hyperemesis gravidarum.
Alcoholism ; Ataxia ; Brain ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperemesis Gravidarum* ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Pregnancy ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy*

Wernicke's encephalopathy, characterized by ataxia, nystagmus, confusion, due to thiamine deficiency, can be a lethal disease without appropriate treatment such as thiamine supplement. The thiamine defect could be from poor oral intake because of hyperemesis gravidarum as well as alcoholic disease. Radiologically, Wernicke's encephalopathy presents the abnormality around the 3rd and the 4th ventricle and periaqueductal area. We now present the case of Wernicke's encephalopathy associated with hyperemesis gravidarum with the radiologic finding and reviewing other literature.
Alcoholics ; Ataxia ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperemesis Gravidarum* ; Pregnancy ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy*

Thiamine deficiency can cause peripheral polyneuropathy and Wernicke's encephalopathy. Wernicke's encephalopathy is characterized by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, nystagmus, and confusion, and typically presents acute and rapidly progressive course, whereas peripheral neuropathy associated with thiamine deficiency manifests chronic and slowly progressive one. However, acute and rapidly progressive axonal polyneuropathy combined with Wernicke's encephalopathy is quite rare and unusual. Here, we describe a patient with Wernicke's encephalopathy who presented with acute bilateral axonal neuropathy.
Ataxia ; Axons ; Humans ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Polyneuropathies ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy* ; Wrist*

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency. Traditionally, diagnosis of WE rests on a clinical symptom triad consisting of ocular signs, altered consciousness, and ataxia. However, the complete triad is only present in a fraction of cases, which means that WE tends to be under-diagnosed, especially in nonalcoholic patients. Brain MRI of WE patients usually shows symmetrical signal intensity alterations in the thalami, mammillary bodies, and periaqueductal area, because of cytotoxic edema in the same region. These typical findings are useful diagnostic leads in WE patients with atypical symptoms. However, atypical findings can occasionally be seen in the vermis of cerebellum and cerebellar nuclei. Notably, alterations of signal intensity in the cerebellar dentate nuclei, which is a typical finding of metronidazole-induced encephalopathy (MIE), need to be distinguished according to medication history and response to thiamine.
Ataxia ; Brain ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Cerebellum ; Consciousness ; Edema ; Humans ; Mamillary Bodies ; Metronidazole ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Wernicke's encephalopathy is caused by thiamine deficiency, and is characterized by acute mental confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia. It is also a rare neurologic complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, because of its rare incidence, Wernicke's encephalopathy can easily be overlooked in HSCT patients, and a few misleading steps in the early stage of the disease may result in permanent neurologic disability or even mortality. We recently encountered a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy in a patient who underwent allogeneic HSCT. Based on our own experience and previously published documents, we suggest early radiologic surveillance and treatment for patients with findings compatible with Wernicke's encephalopathy following HSCT.
Ataxia ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a relatively underestimated disorder caused by a deficiency of thiamine and manifests with a classical triad of ocular abnormalities, ataxia, and mental-status changes. Specific laboratory tests are unavailable and the disease remains a clinical diagnosis. Among paraclinical studies, magnetic resonance imaging is currently considered the most valuable method to confirm a diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy. Treatment is based on supplementation of thiamine that is administered parentally. We report a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy that was treated with thiamine and showed the characteristic clinical findings, as well as an extremely rare symptom of severe dysphagia that improved concurrently with neurological recovery. Only a few cases of dysphagia in Wernicke's encephalopathy have been reported worldwide.
Ataxia ; Deglutition Disorders ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Parents ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Wernicke encephalopathy is a syndrome caused by thiamine deficiency whose three typical symptoms are ophthalomoplegia, ataxia, and confusion. There are also rare reports of bilateral hearing loss, which can be caused by damage to the bilateral inferior colliculus or thalamic lesions, or by energy failure of the cochlea. This case suggests that thiamine should be administered based on the possibility of Wernicke encephalopathy occurring in malnourished or alcoholic patients with sudden bilateral hearing loss.
Alcoholics ; Ataxia ; Cochlea ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Bilateral ; Humans ; Inferior Colliculi ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy