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Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: A Series of 7 Cases and Literature Review
Universal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
| Vol 4, Issue 1
Table 1. Comparative table: Wernicke encephalopathyaccording to etiology
| Characteristics | Chronic alcoholism | Hyperemesis gravidarum (n = 5) | Literature |
| Mean age | 55 years | 26 years | 20-50 years depending on context |
| Sex | Men | Pregnant women | Mixed, but male predominance for alcohol-related forms |
| Initial symptoms | Confusion, marked oculomotor disorders | Intractable vomiting, headaches, ataxia | Variable; complete triad rare (<30%) |
| Nutritional context | Chronic malnutrition, multiple deficiencies | Rapid thiamine depletion | Frequently malnutrition-related |
| Typical MRI | Thalamic mammillary body hyperintensities | Thalamic periaqueductal hyperintensities | Consistent (Marra et al., 2018) |
| Outcome after thiamine | Partial improvement, memory sequelae | Almost complete recovery except 1 case | Depends on therapeutic delay |
| Fetal risk | _ | Growth restriction, potential fetal risk | Confirmed (Oudman et al., 2019) |