Is physical rehabilitation effective for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome? A case report.

Abstract

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a type of brain disorder caused by the lack of thiamine, most commonly because of chronic alcohol misuse. It consists of two separate conditions including Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome. Various levels of cognitive impairments are associated with the severity of the syndrome. Although the effectiveness of thiamine replacement in the early phases of the syndrome is proven, the efficacy of subsequent treatments, which mainly include rehabilitation protocols after the development of Korsakoff syndrome, is not clear. This is the first report showing the positive effects of physical rehabilitation in a 48-year-old male patient with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

• Authors: Aysun Genç, Elif C Özdemir, Esra Moustafa, Ayşe A Küçükdeveci
• Journal: International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptation (Int J Rehabil Res) Vol. 41 Issue 4 Pg. 373-376 (Dec 2018) ISSN: 1473-5660 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 29994923 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Thiamine

Topics

• Activities of Daily Living (classification)
• Adult
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Exercise Therapy
• Humans
• Korsakoff Syndrome (rehabilitation)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Occupational Therapy
• Patient Admission
• Thiamine (therapeutic use)
• Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
• Treatment Outcome