Neglected woman with hyperemesis gravidarum leading to Wernicke encephalopathy

Papa Dasari1, Smitha Priyadarshini2

  • 1Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education, Puducherry, India dasaripapa@gmail.com.

BMJ Case Reports
|December 14, 2020
PubMed

A teenage primigravida at 13 weeks of gestation presented with hyperemesis gravidarum of 45 days and a history of giddiness and inability to walk due to involuntary movements of limbs and eyes since 2 days. She was treated with intravenous fluids, thiamine and antiemetics. MRI brain showed hyperintensities in bilateral dorsomedial thalami, periaqueductal grey matter in T2-weighted and FLAIR images. A diagnosis of Wernicke encephalopathy was made and she was managed in intensive care unit and received injection thiamine as per the guidelines and her weakness and ataxia improved over 3 weeks and she was discharged at 17 weeks of pregnancy in good state of health.

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