Korsakoff Syndrome
Though it has been doubted by some authors, KS is probably always preceded by WE. The uncertainty that has arisen over this issue can be explained by the fact that the clinical diagnosis of WE is very difficult and therefore often missed - Nicolaas JM Arts
HWN Suggests
Put Thiamine in Liquor
Written in 1979 and still worth stating...
The man wanders from ward to ward, unable to remember where he is. A sign is taped on the back of his hospital robe:
My name is Green
I am probably lost
Please return me to Ward 6W
Such signs are sometimes useful to help the elderly senile. Mr. Green is 40 years old. He has a disease called Wernicke‐Korsakoff syndrome. It could have been prevented.
Wernicke‐Korsakoff syndrome is the partial destruction of the brain resulting from a lack of thiamine (vitamin B‐1). It usually occurs among the severely malnourished. During World War II, an epidemic of Wernicke‐Korsakoff…
Featured
Korsakoff’s syndrome: a critical review
Though it has been doubted by some authors, KS is probably always preceded by WE. The uncertainty that has arisen over this issue can be explained by the fact that the clinical diagnosis of WE is very difficult and therefore often missed... KS is the most constant and consistent form of thalamic pathology. Improved knowledge of KS may help to answer vexing questions with regard to thalamic function...
Resources
Korsakoffs.org
The Upstreet Project (Elizabeth House and Artichoak Cottage) provides care, support and re-ablement in a residential setting for adults with Wernicke-Korsakoff’s Syndrome, acquired brain injury, ARBD (Alcohol-Related Brain Damage) and other related conditions.
Alzheimer Society of Calgary
Since the chronic memory loss of Korsakoff syndrome has been found to follow an episode of Wernicke encephalopathy, the condition is sometimes known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Korsakoff syndrome can also develop in individuals who have not had a prior episode of Wernicke encephalopathy.
Alzheimer's Association
Korsakoff syndrome is often — but not always — preceded by an episode of Wernicke encephalopathy, which is an acute brain reaction to severe lack of thiamine. Wernicke encephalopathy is a medical emergency that causes life-threatening brain disruption, confusion, staggering and stumbling, lack of coordination, and abnormal involuntary eye movements.
ScienceDirect
Korsakoff's syndrome, or psychosis, the chronic form of the Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, is characterized primarily by an amnestic dementia, that is, a profound disorder of memory with relative preservation of cognitive abilities per se.
