Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Alternative Names:

Korsakoff psychosis; Alcoholic encephalopathy; Encephalopathy - alcoholic; Wernicke's disease
Symptoms:

Vision changes
Loss of muscle coordination
- Unsteady, uncoordinated walking
Loss of memory, can be profound
Inability to form new memories
Confabulation (making up stories)
Hallucinations

Note: Symptoms that indicate alcohol withdrawal may also be present or may develop.
Signs and tests:

Examination of the nervous/muscular system may show polyneuropathy (damage to multiple nerve systems).
Reflexes may be decreased (or of abnormal intensity), or abnormal reflexes may be present.
Testing of gait and coordination indicates damage to portions of the brain that control muscle coordination.
Muscles may be weak and may show atrophy (loss of tissue mass).
Examination of the eyes shows abnormalities of eye movement.
Blood pressure and body temperature measurement may be low.
Pulse (heart rate) may be rapid.

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The person may appear cachectic (malnourished). A nutritional assessment may confirm malnourished state.

Serum B1 levels may be low.
Pyruvate is elevated.
Transketolase activity is decreased.

If the history is significant for chronic (long-term) alcohol abuse, serum or urine alcohol levels may be elevated (see toxicology screen) and liver enzymes may be elevated.

Other chronic conditions that may cause a thiamine deficiency include the following: