Wernicke Encephalopathy in COVID-19 Patients: Report of Three Cases
Open Access
- 26 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Neurology
- Vol. 12, 629273
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.629273
Abstract
Encephalopathy has been frequently reported in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to COVID-19, and its etiology remains undetermined. These patients display hypercatabolic state, weight loss, use of diuretics, and dialytic therapy, which represent risk factors for thiamine depletion. The diagnosis of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is challenging and based on risk factors for the depletion of thiamine. We reported three cases of patients with COVID-19-related WE treated with intravenous thiamine. All patients responded with immediate neurologic improvement, and two of them had accelerated ventilatory weaning. The cases reported suggest that thiamine deficiency could represent relevant etiology of COVID-19-related encephalopathy.This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- Neurological involvement of coronavirus disease 2019: a systematic reviewZeitschrift für Neurologie, 2020
- Neurologic Features in Severe SARS-CoV-2 InfectionThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2020
- Thiamine (vitamin B1) in septic shock: a targeted therapyJournal of Thoracic Disease, 2020
- Wernicke Encephalopathy—Clinical PearlsMayo Clinic Proceedings, 2019
- Does Long-Term Furosemide Therapy Cause Thiamine Deficiency in Patients with Heart Failure? A Focused ReviewThe American Journal of Medicine, 2016
- Alcohol Induced Neurocognitive Impairment (Wernicke - Korsakoff): A Hidden SyndromeClinical Medicine Research, 2015
- Usefulness of CT and MR imaging in the diagnosis of acute Wernicke's encephalopathy.American Journal of Roentgenology, 1998