2023-06-25 05:00:00
Letter Media Editorial Department 2023-06-25 13:00
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“Wenickel’s encephalopathy” refers to the visual and hypothalamic lesions of the brain caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, which often occurs in alcoholics and malabsorption patients. (Image source/freepik)
A 65-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department because her family members found that she had been locked in her room for nearly a week and seldom spoke. The patient had a regular drinking habit and had partial gastrectomy for severe gastric ulcer many years ago. Operation.
The neurological examination revealed that the patient was confused, and the eyeballs on both sides could not be abducted smoothly. The follow-up brain MRI showed abnormal signals in the bilateral optic thalamus and hypothalamus. The diagnosis was Wernicke’s encephalopathy (Wernicke’s encephalopathy). The symptoms gradually improved after high unit vitamin B1.
Xu Jialun, attending physician at the Department of Neurology, Zhongxing District, Taipei United Hospital, said,As a coenzyme, vitamin B1 plays an important role in the energy metabolism of the body. Severe deficiency will lead to energy utilization disorders, and the brain is the organ with the highest energy demand in the body, so it is often manifested by brain changes, the so-called Wernicke’s encephalopathy (Wernicke’s encephalopathy).Clinically, there will be changes in consciousness, unsteady gait, accompanied by inability to move the eyeballs, or nystagmus. If not treated in time, there may be long-term sequelae, such as memory impairment, empty talk, etc. At this time, in medicine we Call it Korsakoff’s syndrome.
Xu Jialun said that Wernicke’s encephalopathy (Wernicke’s encephalopathy) is the most common alcohol addiction group, but anyone with potential malnutrition should pay attention to it, such as those who have undergone gastroenterectomy, cancer chemotherapy, severe morning sickness, chronic infection or inflammatory disease ; If these groups cannot achieve a balanced diet in their daily lives, it is recommended to add oral vitamin B1 as a supplement to reduce the risk of disease.
The author of the original article is Xu Jialun, the attending physician of the Department of Neurology, Zhongxing District, Taipei United Hospital.
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