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Micronutrient-Related Neurologic Complications Following Bariatric Surgery

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Abstract

Nearly two thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese. Accordingly, bariatric surgery experienced explosive growth during the past decade. Current estimates place the worldwide volume of bariatric procedures at greater than 300,000 cases annually. Micronutrient deficiencies are well-described following bariatric surgery, and they may present with devastating and sometimes irreversible neurologic manifestations. Clinical symptoms range from peripheral neuropathy to encephalopathy, and are most commonly caused by thiamine, copper, and B12 deficiencies.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

APGARS neuropathy:

Acute post-gastric reduction surgery neuropathy

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

RDA:

Recommended daily allowance

WE:

Wernicke’s encephalopathy

KS:

Korsakoff’s syndrome

cyanoCbl:

cyanocobalamin

IF-cyanoCbl complex:

Intrinsic factor-cyanocobalamin complex

methylCbl:

methylcobalamin

MethylTHF:

methyltetrahydrofolate

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the National Center for Research Resources (5P20RR024489-02), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (1P01AA017103-01) K23AA18399-01A, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P30ES014443-01A1), and the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program.

Disclosure

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Ali Kazemi, Thomas Frazier & Matt Cave

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Thomas Frazier & Matt Cave

  3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Matt Cave

  4. The Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, KY, USA

    Matt Cave

  5. University of Louisville, CTR Building, Room 504, 505 South Hancock Street, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA

    Matt Cave

  6. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Louisville Medical Center, 550 S. Jackson St., ACB 3rd Floor, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA

    Ali Kazemi & Thomas Frazier

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  1. Ali Kazemi
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Correspondence to Matt Cave.

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Kazemi, A., Frazier, T. & Cave, M. Micronutrient-Related Neurologic Complications Following Bariatric Surgery. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 12, 288–295 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-010-0120-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-010-0120-5

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