High-dose Parenteral Thiamine in Treatment of Wernicke's Encephalopathy: Case Series and Review of the Literature. 2017

Andrew Nishimoto, and Justin Usery, and John C Winton, and Jennifer Twilla
Department of Pharmacy, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.

Thiamine deficiency can lead to Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE), an acute and potentially life-threatening neurological disorder. Even though the main treatment modality for WE consists of thiamine replacement, evidence supporting an optimal dosing strategy and duration is unclear. We present a single-center case series of eleven patients that were admitted with possible WE and treated with high-dose parenteral thiamine. Patients with suspected WE were treated with ≥500 mg intravenous thiamine for a median of 3 days with 73% of patients (eight out of eleven) displaying symptom resolution or improvement after treatment. No significant correlation between symptom resolution and timing of high-dose thiamine initiation (median=92 h) was identified. In patients whose symptoms resolved compared to those whose symptoms did not, there were no differences in patient variables nor adverse effects related to thiamine treatment. High-dose thiamine (≥500 mg) appears safe and efficacious for use in patients with suspected WE.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011379 Prognosis A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations. Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D004305 Dose-Response Relationship, Drug The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug. Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000369 Aged, 80 and over Persons 80 years of age and older. Oldest Old
D013831 Thiamine 3-((4-Amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl)-5-(2- hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazolium chloride. Aneurin,Vitamin B 1,Thiamin,Thiamine Mononitrate,Vitamin B1,Mononitrate, Thiamine
D013832 Thiamine Deficiency A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of THIAMINE in the diet, characterized by anorexia, irritability, and weight loss. Later, patients experience weakness, peripheral neuropathy, headache, and tachycardia. In addition to being caused by a poor diet, thiamine deficiency in the United States most commonly occurs as a result of alcoholism, since ethanol interferes with thiamine absorption. In countries relying on polished rice as a dietary staple, BERIBERI prevalence is very high. (From Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 19th ed, p1171) Deficiency, Thiamine,Deficiencies, Thiamine,Thiamine Deficiencies

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