Wernicke's encephalopathy complicating pregnancy in a woman with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis and resultant chronic malabsorption.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a metabolic disturbance resulting from severe thiamine deficiency classically described in malnourished alcoholics. Untreated, it can result in stupor, coma, and death. WE has previously been reported as a complication of pregnancy in women with hyperemesis gravidarum. We report a case of WE complicating pregnancy in a woman with chronic malabsorption secondary to premature birth and subsequent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Our patient progressed through classic stages of WE before lapsing into a coma. She made a complete recovery after aggressive intravenous thiamine and nutritional support. This is the first report of WE in pregnancy secondary to NEC-related chronic malabsorption. We report this case to bring attention to a potential pregnancy complication affecting women with malabsorptive conditions.