Wernicke Encephalopathy Associated With Semaglutide Use

Abstract

A patient presenting to the emergency room with neurological symptoms is more commonly found to have manifestations of stroke, transient ischemic attack, or nervous system injury. Alcoholic Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is also another common manifestation of neurological dysfunction; however, the prevalence of non-alcoholic WE is relatively uncommon. We discuss a 37-year-old male who presented to the ED with dysphagia, slurred speech, word-finding difficulty, and restricted extraocular movements from non-alcoholic WE in the setting of semaglutide use.