Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in the new ICD-11 classification
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is an acute condition that occurs especially in individuals with chronic alcohol problems caused by cerebral thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. If the adequate treatment with thiamine is not immediately instituted, the encephalopathy’s evolution is to Korsakoff syndrome (KS) in 80% of cases and to death in 20% of cases. The main symptoms of WE are confusion, eye signs and cerebellar dysfunction, while residual KS is predominantly characterized by global amnesia. The treatment should be immediately instituted with high doses of parenteral thiamine when there is a suspicion of WE. There is no evidence that pharmacological interventions may be effective in the treatment of KS, but improvement is reported after procedural learning interventions and memory rehabilitation. The new ICD-11 classification establishes Wernicke-Korsakoff encephalopathy as part of Nutritional Disorders – Vitamin B1 Deficiency (code 5B5A.1), merging together alcoholic and non-alcoholic KS.
Source: Psihiatru ro
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3120604588