Book Description
Objectives:1. To report a case of Non-Alcoholic Wernicke Korsakof Syndrome (WKS) that apparently resulted from malnutrition due to psychosis.2. To make a brief literature review on Non Alcoholic WKS.Background:WKS consists of two closely interrelated entities that represent different stages of the same pathophysiological process. Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE) is a brain disease that results from thiamine deficit. If early detection and replenishment with thiamine is accomplished WE can be inoffensive. Korsakoff Syndrome, characterized by anterograde and retrograde amnesia in addition to other neurocognitive and psychopathological manifestations such as confabulations, occurs after an untreated WE, and in most of the cases itu00b4s irreversible.Materials and Methods:Case description with clinical information provided by the patient, his relatives and from his medical records. Presentation of his cranial magnetic resonance images. Non-systematic review of the literature (MEDLINE) on WKS.Results and Conclusions:We describe the case of a 42 years old male patient, without personal history of alcohol abuse who was admitted in a psychiatry ward with clinical and imaging diagnose of WKS. This WKS was found to result from malnutrition due to psychosis. Unfortunately even after thiamine reposition the patient was discharged maintaining cognitive and neurologic deficits.WKS is a serious, preventable and reversible disease but can have serious repercussions, from permanent neurocognitive deficits to death. It can occur in any condition that causes thiamine deficiency having already been identified after several organic and psychiatric diseases.We should therefore be watchful to the signs and symptoms of WKS, independently of the presence or absence of history of alcohol consumption.
