Dry beriberi mimicking the Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Abstract

A 44-year-old man is described with severe flaccid quadriparesis that evolved over 3 weeks. He had regularly binged on alcohol-up to 20 cans of beer per day with occasional consumption of spirits-for more than 15 years but had balanced this with regular food intake. However, for a week prior to the current episode he had not eaten anything of significance. Nerve conduction studies revealed a background peripheral, mainly sensory, neuropathy with a superimposed acute motor axonopathy. CSF was normal. He improved with high dose vitamin replacement and physiotherapy but remains dependent on a Zimmer frame for mobility and a splint for wrist drop.

• Authors: Christopher Murphy, I Hussain Bangash, Anoop Varma
• Journal: Practical neurology (Pract Neurol) Vol. 9 Issue 4 Pg. 221-4 (Aug 2009) ISSN: 1474-7766 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 19608771 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System (diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Alcoholic Neuropathy (diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Beriberi (diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Demyelinating Diseases (chemically induced, pathology, physiopathology)
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Dietary Supplements
• Disease Progression
• Foot Deformities (etiology)
• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Horner Syndrome (etiology, physiopathology)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Motor Neuron Disease (chemically induced, diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Muscle Weakness (etiology, physiopathology)
• Nutrition Disorders (diagnosis, etiology, physiopathology)
• Pons (pathology)
• Quadriplegia (etiology, physiopathology)
• Thiamine Deficiency (diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Treatment Outcome