Vitamin B1 deficiency can occur after obesity surgery

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A case study warns of the danger of serious vitamin B1 deficiency as a complication of gastric bypass surgery.
More and more people are turning to gastric bypass surgery to 'cure' their obesity problem. The surgery is, indeed, an effective way of losing weight and addressing the associated health issue. But it is not without risk, either. A team at George Washington University now reports on a previously unknown neurological complication of gastric bypass.

A woman of 35 developed symptoms such as nausea, anorexia, fatigue, hearing loss, inability to co-ordinate muscle movements, and forgetfulness after gastric bypass surgery. She was judged to have Wenicke's encephalopathy, because of vitamin B1 deficiency. A brain scan confirmed the deficiency. She was treated with vitamin B1 injections and her symptoms cleared up. Her doctors say that those caring for patients being treated by surgery for obesity should always be on the lookout for this and other neurological complications.

Source
Neurology 27th December 2005

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