A vitamin deficiency can cause a potentially fatal brain disorder that mimics dementia and other neurological conditions, new research shows.
In a new study published in the journal Scientific American Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center neurologists report that low levels of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can cause a condition known as Wernicke encephalopathy — a disorder that causes confusion, hallucinations, coma, loss of muscle coordination, and vision problems.
It typically occurs in people who have disorders such as alcoholism and anorexia that lead to malnourishment. Untreated, the condition can lead to irreversible brain damage and death.
"Toxic and metabolic encephalopathies may range in severity from the acute confusional state to frank coma," write Loyola neurologists Matthew McCoyd, M.D., Sean Ruland, and Jose Biller, M.D. "As permanent injury may occur, an organized approach is needed to make an accurate and rapid diagnosis."
The researchers said the condition is underdiagnosed, with clinical studies suggesting it strikes fewer than 1 percent of Americans. But autopsy studies show a prevalence as high as 2.8 percent.
"Particularly in those who suffer from alcoholism or AIDS, the diagnosis is missed on clinical examination in 75 to 80 percent of cases," the Loyola neurologists write. "In the absence of treatment, deficiency can lead to irreversible brain damage and death with an estimated mortality of 20 percent."
© 2026 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.