Thiamine deficiency as a differential diagnosis for severe fatigue in terminally ill cancer patients.

Objectives: Patients with advanced cancer present various symptoms as their disease progresses. Among these, fatigue is a frequent symptom in patients with advanced cancer and is associated with decreased quality of life (QOL). However, there are few reports regarding its association with thiamine deficiency (TD).

A patient with Marchiafava-Bignami disease type A transported by ambulance with impaired consciousness and malnutrition was successfully treated after early diagnosis by MRI.

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a very rare disorder characterized by demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. A 53-year-old male was transported to the emergency room with impaired consciousness. On his arrival, he was quite emaciated.

Thiamine Deficiency in a Patient With Schizophrenia: Precautions and Countermeasures for Subclinical Thiamine Deficiency.

Patients with schizophrenia often experience problems associated with ordinary exercises of life due to their mental symptoms. Those experiencing problems related to feeding behavior, in particular, are considered to be susceptible to developing Wernicke encephalopathy due to a deficiency in thiamine, the physiological stores of which are limited; however, there are few reported cases, and most of them were accompanied by the classical triad of signs. We report our experience with asymptomatic thiamine deficiency (TD) in a schizophrenia patient.

The prevalence of thiamine deficiency among elderly nursing home residents: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Although thiamine deficiency (TD) can lead to Wernicke encephalopathy, the characteristics associated with TD in the elderly have not yet been clarified. We sought to clarify the frequency of TD among an institutionalized elderly population with a controlled dietary intake and to identify possible factors related to TD.

Method: We undertook a cross-sectional study of residents in three nursing homes for the elderly as of June 2020.

Can depressed cancer patients with a borderline thiamine concentration develop deficiency within a short time period?

Background: Despite increasing reports of thiamine deficiency (TD) among cancer patients, there remain some patients with borderline thiamine concentrations (BTC). However, it is unclear whether such patients subsequently develop TD.

Methods: Here, we report cases of cancer patients progressing to TD within a short time period after presentation with BTC (24-28 ng/ml).

Opioid withdrawal syndrome developing after long-term administration of naldemedine.

Objective: One of the side effects of opioid administration is opioid-induced constipation (OIC). To address this side effect, the oral peripheral μ opioid receptor antagonist naldemedine was developed. As this drug does not cross the blood-brain barrier, it is thought that it does not lead to opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS) with central nervous system symptoms.

Is a decrease in activities of daily living in the elderly irreversible? A case report of Wernicke encephalopathy in home medical care.

The patient was an 83-year-old male who, after being hospitalized for 70 days for suffocation due to aspiration, was provided with home medical care (HMC) as his physical condition did not allow him to climb stairs. Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) was suspected based on his disorientation and a continued loss of appetite. This diagnosis was supported by abnormal serum thiamine and the disappearance of delirium after thiamine administration.

A case of Wernicke encephalopathy in a dementia caregiver: The need for nutritional evaluation in family caregivers.

A 63-year-old woman had started caring for her mother with dementia 6 months previously. A loss of appetite had appeared 2 months prior to her visit. Neurologically, she experienced mild unsteadiness, but she was fully conscious and had no ocular symptoms.

A case of Wernicke encephalopathy arising in the early stage after the start of hemodialysis.

Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) resulting from vitamin B1 (VB1) deficiency is commonly regarded as being associated with a high alcohol intake; however, recently many non-alcohol-related cases have been reported. Herein, we report a case of WE due to VB1 deficiency in the early stage after the start of hemodialysis. The patient was a 79-year-old male recommended for hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure.

Wernicke encephalopathy in a caregiver: A serious physical issue resulting from stress in a family member caring for an advanced cancer patient.

Objective: It is well known that the burden on the families of cancer patient extends across many aspects, but there have been no reports of family members developing delirium due to the burden of caring for a cancer patient.

Methods: We reported a caregiver who developed Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) while caring for a family member with advanced cancer.

Results: The subject was a 71-year-old woman who had been caring for her husband, diagnosed with gastric cancer and liver metastases, for 5 months.

Wernicke encephalopathy in a lung cancer patient receiving home medical care.

Objective: Cancer patients often want to spend their final days at home, and it is essential that general practitioners have knowledge of and technical skills related to cancer medicine and symptom relief. Recent clinical studies have revealed that Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is quite common in cancer patients. However, there have been no reports to date on WE in cancer patients undergoing home medical care.

Reversible dementia due to vitamin B12 deficiency in a lung cancer patient: Relevance of preoperative evaluation.

Objective: Cognitive dysfunction has a negative effect on cancer treatment; however, in a cancer setting, specific treatments can restore cognitive function. Such conditions are known as reversible dementia, with one of these being vitamin B12 (VB12) deficiency. However, there have been no reports of VB12 deficiency identified by preoperative evaluation in cancer patients.

High proportion of thiamine deficiency in referred cancer patients with delirium: a retrospective descriptive study.

Background/objectives: Recent studies have revealed thiamine deficiency (TD) as a cause of delirium in cancer patients. However, the extent to which Wernicke encephalopathy is present and in what patients is not well understood.

Subjects/methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, we investigated referred cancer patients who were diagnosed with delirium by a psycho-oncologist to clarify the proportion of TD, the therapeutic effect of thiamine administration, and the factors involved in its onset.

Exacerbation of psychotic symptoms as clinical presentation of Wernicke encephalopathy in an Alzheimer's disease patient.

Although there have been recent reports of nonalcoholic thiamine deficiency (TD), no association has been reported between the exacerbation of the psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease patient and TD. An 89-year-old woman with dementia visited our hospital because of acute deterioration in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Her medical history revealed a decrease in oral food intake lasting more than 2 weeks, so that TD was suspected and abnormal behavior improved significantly after thiamine administration.

Subclinical thiamine deficiency: What is the most appropriate method of diagnosis and treatment?

Objectives: The symptoms of thiamine deficiency vary considerably and asymptomatic cases; i.e., subclinical thiamine deficiency (SCTD), are known to exist.

Macular vessel density in untreated normal tension glaucoma with a hemifield defect.

Purpose: To investigate macular vessel density (MVD) and structural alterations in untreated normal tension glaucoma (NTG) with a hemifield defect (HFD) and to compare these with the findings in healthy eyes.

Study Design: Case series with a healthy group for comparison.

Methods: Thirty-four eyes of 34 untreated NTG patients with HFD and 28 eyes of 28 healthy subjects were enrolled.

Thiamine deficiency in a patient with recurrent renal cell carcinoma who developed weight loss with normal appetite and loss of energy soon after nivolumab treatment.

Background: Nivolumab has become an effective treatment option for cancer in various sites; however, this drug may cause immune-related adverse effects due to its mechanism of action. Furthermore, little has been reported on thiamine deficiency (TD) in patients receiving nivolumab treatment.

Method: From a series of cancer patients, we reported a patient with recurrent renal cell carcinoma who developed TD after the start of nivolumab treatment.

Thiamine deficiency in the bereaved after cancer-related spousal loss.

Objective: Thiamine deficiency (TD) is recognized in various kinds of disease with associated loss of appetite including cancer. However, it has not been recognized to date in bereaved partners after spousal loss from cancer.

Method: From a series of bereaved partners who lost a spouse to cancer, we report on those who developed TD after bereavement.