Crohn’s Disease with Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE) is an acute and potentially life-threatening neurological disorder due to thiamine deficiency. The classical signs and symptoms of the disorder include ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and mental confusion. Although WE is known to occur frequently in alcoholics, it has also been reported in a number of non-alcoholic causes. Here, we reported a rare case of a severely malnourished patient with Crohn's Disease (CD) who presented WE after prolonged total parenteral nutrition without thiamine supplementation. This case revealed that it is of importance to give thiamine supplementation for malnourished patients even though they are not alcoholics. This article also reviews cases of CD and WE to discuss the diagnostic evaluation and clinical treatment of WE.