Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is traditionally seen in the emergency department in patients with chronicalcohol abuse. WE can result in significant morbidity and mortality if untreated, making early diagnosis andintervention paramount. We discuss a case of WE in a 63-year-old female with no history of chronic alcoholabuse, who presented with bilateral opthalmoplegia that resolved after intravenous thiamine administration.This case report highlights the varied clinical settings other than chronic alcohol abuse in which thediagnosis of WE should be considered.