Korean J Crit Care Med.  2008 Dec;23(2):106-110. 10.4266/kjccm.2008.23.2.106.

A Case of Wernicke's Encephalopathy Occurring in a Patient with Aspiration Pneumonia: A Case Report

• Kim SM
• Suh JH
• Noh R
• Choo YK
• La SS
• Park JS
• Kim DH

• KMID: 2228403
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4266/kjccm.2008.23.2.106

Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a neurologic complication of thiamine deficiency, presenting with acute confusion, oculomotor dysfunction, and gait ataxia. While most often associated with chronic alcoholism, Wernicke's encephalopathy occasionally occurs in the setting of poor nutritional status, such as malabsorption, increased metabolic requirements, or increased loss of the water-soluble vitamins. Patients with critical illnesses can present with excessive catabolic status because of activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the pituitary-adrenal axis. In addition, inappropriate nutritional evaluation and lack of concerns for adequate nutrient support can increase the morbidity and mortality in such patients. However, the importance of adequate nutritional support is often disregarded during treatment of the patient's primary illness. We have recently managed a patient with Wernicke's encephalopathy and pneumonia who did not receive adequate nutritional support during hospitalization. We report this case to call attention to the importance of nutritional support in critically ill patients.

Keyword

encephalopathy; Wernicke's encephalopathy; nutrition

MeSH Terms

Alcoholism
Axis, Cervical Vertebra
Critical Illness
Gait Ataxia
Hospitalization
Humans
Nutritional Status
Nutritional Support
Pneumonia
Sympathetic Nervous System
Thiamine Deficiency
Vitamins
Wernicke Encephalopathy
Vitamins