Author(s): Barata, PC ; Serrano, R ; Afonso, H ; Luís, A ; Maia, T
Date: 2020
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.10/2408
Origin: Repositório do Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca
Subject(s): Korsakoff syndrome; Consultation-liaison psychiatry
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) is a life-threatening and underdiagnosed neuropsychiatric condition caused by thiamine deficiency that comprises Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome. Although mainly associated with chronic alcoholism, WKS can arise from other circumstances. This report describes a series of cases of WKS that were clinically evaluated by liaison psychiatrists on a nonpsychiatric inpatient unit. The cases illustrate a deficit in the recognition and adequate treatment of WKS, demonstrating its clinical complexity and the need to improve physicians' knowledge
