WERNICKE’S ENCEPHALOPATHY AND KORSAKOFF’S SYNDROME

*This webpage has been funded by public donation: The aim of the website is to provide information on the Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome [and Alcohol Related Brain Damage] to practising doctors, medical students and the public. This will include relevant scientific literature including case reports, but also more clinically-based reports from the Royal Colleges, Government Departments (including the Department of Health in England and Wales, the Scottish Parliament, Australian Government, commentaries, NIAAA literature).

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE), first described by Wernicke in 1881, is a neuropsychiatric condition caused by an inadequate supply of thiamine (vitamin B1) to the brain.  It can occur as a result of malnutrition per se e.g.   in Japanese prisoners-of-war, but in the Western world is most frequently associated with alcohol misuse.  

WE is not diagnosed prior to post-mortem in 80% of cases.   Untreated patients who survive go on to develop permanent brain damage Korsakoff’s Syndrome (KS) sometimes called Korsakoff’s Psychosis (KP).

A number of medical conditions may co-exist with alcohol use disorders, and these individuals are at higher risk of developing WE:

 

 

 

Diabetic ketoacidosis	Chronic renal failure	Ulcerative colitis	Alzheimer’s disease
Pernicious anaemia	Tuberculosis	AIDS	Chronic schizophrenia
Sepsis	Neglect in old age, especially if living alone	Severe obesity	Anorexia nervosa*
Protracted vomiting, including during pregnancy  (teenage pregnancy particularly vulnerable)*

 

 [* Can be a cause of WE in its own right]

 

 

 

Click on the titles below to access more information on each aspect of Wernicke's Encephalophy & Korsakoff's Syndrome:

EPIDEMIOLOGY

DESCRIPTION

GENETICS

CASE REPORTS

FOLLOW-UP STUDIES

ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT

GUIDELINES

SERVICES (Neuropsychology, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation)

ALCOHOL RELATED BRAIN DAMAGE

LEGAL ASPECTS

LINKS TO PAPERS AND REPORTS / TEACHING AIDS (Powerpoint Presentations etc)