A Case of Wernicke's Encephalopathy in a Pregnant Woman With a History of Sleeve Gastrectomy

Harika Kandlakunta; Dhineshreddy Gurala; Jobin Philipose; Abhishek Polavarapu; Jeffrey R Abergel

doi:10.7759/cureus.9970

A Case of Wernicke's Encephalopathy in a Pregnant Woman With a History of Sleeve Gastrectomy

Cureus. 2020 Aug 23;12(8):e9970. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9970.

Authors

Harika Kandlakunta¹, Dhineshreddy Gurala¹, Jobin Philipose², Abhishek Polavarapu², Jeffrey R Abergel²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, Northwell Health-Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, USA.
² Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwell Health-Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, USA.

Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a neurological complication of thiamine deficiency characterized by a triad of acute confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia. Even though it is most common in chronic alcoholism, an increase in prevalence has been reported recently due to the increased popularity of bariatric surgeries. WE is a known neurological complication after gastric bypass surgery but rarely reported after sleeve gastrectomy. We present a unique case of WE in pregnant women four months after sleeve gastrectomy.

Keywords: bariatric surgery; malabsorption; nutritional deficiency; pregnant; restrictive surgery; sleeve gastrectomy; thiamine deficiency; wernicke's encephalopathy.

Publication types

Case Reports