Abstract

A CASE REPORT ON BERIBERI SYNDROME PROGRESSED TO WERNICKE-KORSAKOFF SYNDROME

Sai Charitha Sreeram*, A. Hemalatha, T. S. Durga Prasad, D. Ranganayakulu

Abstract

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is an essential nutrient required for all living tissues. It can be found in high concentration inside the heart, kidneys, brain and skeletal muscles. A severe depletion is not commonly seen, except in cases of inadequate nutrition and/or chronic alcoholism. Thiamine deficiency has 4 clinical forms: Dry Beriberi, Wet Beriberi (chronic and acute), Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder resulting from Thiamine deficiency and commonly associated with chronic alcoholism, but we describe the first case report on Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome which is a complication of Beriberi syndrome. The prevalence of Wernicke’s encephalopathy ranges from 0.5 to 2.8 percent. Early recognition and adequate thiamine replacement can lead to a full recovery. This report details the case of a 38 years old male patient presented with Beriberi syndrome progressed to Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome (severe Thiamine deficiency) caused by severe malnutrition, starvation and chronic alcoholism.

Keywords: Thiamine, Beriberi, Peripheral neuropathy, Ataxia, Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome