Thirty Days without a Bite: Wernicke's Encephalopathy in a Patient with Paranoid Schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT: Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE) is a preventable neurologic condition characterized by altered mental status, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia. Although historically associated with alcoholism, a few authors have described WE in patients with non-alcohol related psychiatric disorders. We report herein the case of a 36-year-old young man with paranoid schizophrenia who was brought to hospital for confusion and difficulties with his vision. His roommate said he had gone about thirty days without eating '…because he was on a slimming cure'. History and physical examination suggested WE as a result of isolation and poor diet leading to nutritional deficiency. This was confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging showing classic thalamic, mammillary bodies and brainstem lesions. Of note, his cogniti

SUBMITTER: Langlois M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4830687 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature