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Wernicke's encephalopathy after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 35, pages 829–830 (2005)Cite this article

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is the treatment of choice for a variety of hematological, nonhematological, genetic, and immune diseases. However, aside from the prolonged neutropenia and risk of opportunistic infection, the conditioning therapy can cause many side effects including nausea, vomiting, mucositis, and diarrhea,1 leading to a reduced caloric intake and malabsorption, and necessitating total parenteral nutrition (TPN) regimens in recipients.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of thiamine, which plays an important role as a coenzyme in the Krebs and pentosephosphate cycles.2 The disease is most frequently associated with chronic alcoholism, yet can also occur in relation to other forms of malnutrition or malabsorption3 such as prolonged TPN, total gastrectomy, gastrojejunostomy, severe anorexia, or hyperemesis gravidarum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea

    J H Baek, S K Sohn, D H Kim, J G Kim & K B Lee

  2. Stem Cell Transplantation Center, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea

    S K Sohn, J G Kim & K B Lee

  3. Department of Neurology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea

    H W Lee & S P Park

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  1. J H Baek
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Baek, J., Sohn, S., Kim, D. et al. Wernicke's encephalopathy after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 35, 829–830 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704893

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