Wernicke Encephalopathy in a Patient With Bipolar Disorder: A Case Report

Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a combination of neurological findings including confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia. It is most commonly associated with patients who have a history of alcohol abuse. This aspect leads to the majority of cases going undiagnosed in non-alcoholic patients who have other potential thiamine deficiency-causing conditions such as malignancy, chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis, hyperemesis gravidarum, and psychiatric disorders leading to starvation and malnourishment. Here we present the case of a 59-year-old female patient with decompensated bipolar disorder who came in with altered mental status and multiple syncopal episodes. On examination, she was completely confused and had a fixed gaze. She was worked up for broad differential diagnoses including stroke, arrhythmias, seizures, drug intoxication, and infections. But due to her severely malnourished appearance, Wernicke’s encephalopathy was suspected early on, and she was started on thiamine therapy, to which she responded well. It was also confirmed by an MRI of the brain showing flair in the bilateral medial thalamic region. Therefore, to suspect the presence of WE in non-alcoholic patients with psychiatric disorders and to differentiate behavioral symptoms from delirium and encephalopathy is difficult and requires a high degree of clinical suspicion.