Wernicke’s polyneuropathy in a sixteen-year-old male patient with anorexia nervosa (case report)

Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa are at risk of developing Wernicke’s encephalopathy due to thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. This risk is particularly high when food intake is suddenly resumed after a prolonged period of starvation, as the sharply increased insulin secretion stimulates glycolysis and other metabolic pathways in which thiamine serves as a coenzyme. As a result, the demand for thiamine rises dramatically, and its already depleted stores are rapidly exhausted. In the described clinical case, a sixteen-year-old male patient with anorexia nervosa exhibited a combination of Wernicke’s polyneuropathy, which was associated with severe thiamine deficiency. The authors provide a detailed account of the progression of this condition, using data from the patient’s medical history and pathopsychological assessment. This case illustrates the combination of a severe eating disorder in an adolescent, accompanied by pronounced neurological disturbances and psychoorganic syndrome, as well as the opportunity to assess the regression of symptoms as body weight is restored and vitamin B1 eficiency is corrected.