Wernicke’s syndrome is a condition frequently occurring in alcoholics due to thiamine deficiency resulting from poor nutritional intake, alcohol-induced malabsorption on the small bowel and decreased production of the thiamine-dependent enzyme transketolase.
It is characterized by lesions in several parts of the brain, including the hypothalamus, mammillary bodies and tissues surrounding the ventricles and aqueducts, double vision, ophthalmoplegia, involuntary and rapid movements of the eyes, lack of muscular coordination and decreased mental function, which may be mild or severe.
The symptoms are usually of absorption onset and may occur slightly or in various combinations.
Although it is most commonly associated with nutritional deficiency of chronic alcoholism, Wernicke’s syndrome has been reported with hemodialysis and gastric surgery for morbid obesity.
Wernicke’s syndrome
