Acute encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency (Wernicke's encephalopathy) in a chronic hemodialyzed patient: a case report.

We report the case of a patient with terminal renal disease on chronic hemodialysis who developed acute thiamine deficiency as confirmed by erythrocyte transketolase determinations. The patient presented with a confusional state and severe memory disturbances, but other classical features of Wernicke's encephalopathy were absent. Almost all central nervous system symptoms rapidly disappeared after thiamine therapy. Therefore the possibility of thiamine deficiency must be considered in patients on chronic dialysis who present with central nervous system disturbances, even if all of the classical features of Wernicke's encephalopathy are not present.