Wernicke korsakoff syndrom

Wernicke korsakoff syndrom

Wernicke korsakoff is a neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency(vitamin B1).It is most common in the alcohol consuming people. Consuming heavy alcohol interferes with the intestinal absorption of thiamine. Wernicke korsakoff causes brain damage in lower parts of the brain called the thalamus and hypothalamus. The cause is more severe when lack of thiamine in the diet.Thaimine is essential for making glucose which is the only energy source for brain. So it causes brain damage, mental. confution,severe memory loss, partial paralysis etc.

Risk factors

Risk factors for Wernicke korsakoff syndrome are associated to a patient’s diet and lifestyle.

Risk factors for WKS include:

• Major risk factor is chronic alcoholism
• Kidney dialysis that reduce thiamine absorption 
• Fail to afford proper food and medical treatments
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which makes more likely to develop conditions that lead to vitamin B1 shortage.

Symptoms

• Short and long time memory gap
• Mental confusion and severe memory loss can lead to coma and death
• Abnormalities of eye movement, cornea damage, eyelid dropping and vision change.
• Brain damage and brain function fall
• Hallucinations occur. 

Treatment
If a person appears the symptoms, he may go to the hospital and may stay there to control the symptoms. If a person is unconscious or comatose, he may take special care. It must be ensure that if the person abstains from taking alcohol and he must consume adequate amount of vitamin B1rich foods.

If arise more severe condition patient may monitoring in the hospital .Families should support and give a hand to recover the patient’s condition. Nursing homes which provide special treatment should be considered for a confused WKS patient.

Prevention

• Taking diet with adequate thiamine rich foods.
• Avoid consuming alcohol at any cost
• Taking healthy diet and vitamin B1-rich foods include rice lean pork, peas, whole wheat bread, spinach, oranges, and milk etc

Exams and Tests

Examination includes

• Checking nervous system
• Eye movement
• Low blood pressure 
• Loss of tissue mass
• Low body temperature
• Vision failure 
• Blood Serum vitamin B1 levels
• Transketolase activity in red blood cells