A Case of Wernicke’s Encephalopathy Due to Idiopathic Gastroparesis: A Rare Cause of Encephalopathy in a Young Woman

Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a rare, life-threatening neurological disease due to thiamine deficiency. It is most commonly associated with chronic alcoholism but is also associated with disorders of malabsorption and malnutrition. We present a case of a young female with idiopathic gastroparesis who developed Wernicke's encephalopathy due to poor oral intake and malnutrition as a result of gastroparesis. This case exemplifies that Wernicke's encephalopathy should be on the differential in patients who present with encephalopathy with a history of gastroparesis.