Malnutrition and Wernicke encephalopathy in the elderly

Forteza, F.J. Ros; Cabrera, Hugo Álvarez-Argüelles; Bousende, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.nrleng.2018.11.005

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…For example, WE has been documented after food deprivation during anorexia nervosa, religious fasting and malnutrition in the elderly. [31][32][33] Lack of thiamine supplementation during total parenteral nutrition is another cause of WE. 34 Conditions that cause nausea and vomiting are also linked to development of WE: hyperemesis gravidarum is a well-documented cause of the condition.…”

Section: Conditions Of Decreased Access To Thiaminementioning

confidence: 99%

Don’t seek, don’t find: The diagnostic challenge of Wernicke’s encephalopathy

Kohnke

Meek

2020

Ann Clin Biochem

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Wernicke’s encephalopathy is caused by thiamine deficiency and has a range of presenting features, including gait disturbance, altered cognitive state, nystagmus and other eye movement disorders. In the past, Wernicke’s encephalopathy was described almost exclusively in the alcohol-dependent population. However, in current times, Wernicke’s encephalopathy is also well recognized in many other patient groups, including patients following bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, cancer and pancreatitis. Early recognition of Wernicke’s encephalopathy is vital, as prompt treatment can restore cognitive or ocular function and can prevent permanent disability. Unfortunately, Wernicke’s encephalopathy is often undiagnosed – presumably because it is relatively uncommon and has a variable clinical presentation. Clinical biochemists have a unique role in advising clinicians about potential nutritional or metabolic causes of unexplained neurological symptoms and to prompt consideration of thiamine deficiency as a potential cause in high-risk patient groups. The aim of this review is to summarize the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Wernicke’s encephalopathy and to highlight some non-traditional causes, such as after bariatric surgery.

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Section: Conditions Of Decreased Access To Thiaminementioning

confidence: 99%

Don’t seek, don’t find: The diagnostic challenge of Wernicke’s encephalopathy

Kohnke

Meek

2020

Ann Clin Biochem

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“…There are few cases published in the literature of WE in elderly related to malnutrition [26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Section: Wernicke Encephalopathy In Elderly Related To Severe Malnutrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We present the case [32] of an 81-year-old autonomous woman with 10 years of schooling and body mass index (BMI) previously of 23.2. There was no history of tobacco and alcohol use.…”

Section: Special Case Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wernicke Encephalopathy in Elderly Related to Severe Malnutrition

Forteza¹

2020

Malnutrition

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Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is the main neurologic complication of thiamine deficiency. Thiamine is a cofactor for several key enzymes important in energy metabolism. WE is a little-recognised and underdiagnosed condition, and the prevalence in the elderly is unknown. The classic triad of WE includes encephalopathy, oculomotor dysfunction, and gait ataxia. Diagnosis is clinical, and early treatment with thiamine is fundamental in preventing coma and death. In the cases reported in the literature, the cause of WE was fasting or malnutrition in 10.2% of cases. WE may in some cases constitute a public health problem. Being the prevalence unknown, we alert clinicians to keep severe malnutrition in elderly as a form of precipitation of WE. We review the cases published in the literature.

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Malnutrition and Wernicke encephalopathy in the elderly

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Don’t seek, don’t find: The diagnostic challenge of Wernicke’s encephalopathy

Don’t seek, don’t find: The diagnostic challenge of Wernicke’s encephalopathy

Wernicke Encephalopathy in Elderly Related to Severe Malnutrition

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