Weight Loss Surgery Risks: Understanding Seizure Complications & Wernicke's Encephalopathy

A 2009 article in the John Hopkins University Gazette stated that over 200,000 people have some form of weight loss surgery that year. While most patients do experience weight loss with these surgeries, there are risks involved including a chance of seizures.

Causes of seizures in weight loss surgery patients

• Weight loss surgery carries a risk of complication.

  A study at Wake Forest University has shown that weight loss surgery may be linked to a condition called Wernicke's encephalopathy, which may cause seizures, says HealthandAge.com.

Causes of Wernicke's encephalopathy

• Vitamin defiency proves a common risk with weight loss surgery.

  According to HealthandAge.com, Wernicke's encephalopathy is caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency in the nervous system.

Symptoms

• Studies show weight loss surgery may be linked to memory loss.

  In addition to memory loss and vision problems, surgery patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy may also experience muscle weakness and pain, seizures, psychosis and numbness in the hands and feet.

Treatment

• Wernicke's encephalopathy can cause numbness in the limbs.

  When caught early, Wernicke's encephalopathy can be treated with vitamin B1 injections, states HealthandAge.com.

Likelihood of Complications

• The majority of weight loss surgeries are successful.

  According to News.HealthGuru.com, studies show that only 4.3 percent of weight loss surgery patients suffer from any kind of complications.