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

Abstract

Background: 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. Patients and Methods: We present a single-center case series of eleven patients that were admitted with possible WE and treated with high-dose parenteral thiamine. Results: 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. Conclusion: High-dose thiamine (≥500 mg) appears safe and efficacious for use in patients with suspected WE.