US doctors have reported the first case of hyperemesis gravidarum so severe that it led to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and likely contributed to the death of her unborn child. 

Their patient, a 23-year-old woman at 15 weeks’ gestation, presented to hospital for acute-onset altered mental status but no past psychiatric or substance use history. 

Her pregnancy had been complicated by previous ED visits for hyperemesis gravidarum and poor oral intake that required IV fluid repletion. 

On examination, the case authors said she was agitated, disoriented and persistently tachycardic, with lab results showing hypothyroidism, rhabdomyolysis and transaminitis, among other abnormalities.