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Síndrome de Wernicke-Korsakoff - Symptom

Nombres alternativos

Psicosis de Korsakoff; Encefalopatía Alcohólica; Enfermedad de Wernicke

Síntomas:

Síntomas de la encefalopatía de Wernicke:

Síntomas del síndrome de Korsakoff

  • Incapacidad para formar nuevos recuerdos
  • Pérdida de la memoria que puede ser grave
  • Inventar historias (confabulación)
  • Ver o escuchar cosas que realmente no existen (alucinaciones)

Nota: también puede haber síntomas de abstinencia alcohólica.

Signos y exámenes:

El examen del sistema nervioso y muscular puede mostrar daño a múltiples sistemas nerviosos:

  • Movimientos oculares anormales
  • Reflejos anormales o disminuidos
  • Pulso rápido (frecuencia cardíaca)
  • Presión arterial baja
  • Temperatura corporal baja
  • Debilidad y atrofia muscular (pérdida de la masa tisular)
  • Problemas con la marcha y la coordinación

La persona puede parecer desnutrida. Los siguientes exámenes se utilizan para verificar el nivel nutricional de la persona:

  • Albúmina sérica (se relaciona con la nutrición general de la persona)
  • Niveles séricos de vitamina B1
  • Actividad de la transcetolasa en glóbulos rojos (reducida en personas con deficiencia de tiamina)

Los niveles de alcohol en la orina o la sangre y las enzimas hepáticas pueden estar altos en personas con antecedentes de consumo de alcohol en forma crónica.

Otras afecciones crónicas que pueden causar una deficiencia de tiamina son, entre otras, las siguientes:

  • SIDA
  • Cánceres que se han diseminado por todo el cuerpo
  • Vómitos y náuseas extremas durante el embarazo (hiperemesis gravídica)
  • Insuficiencia cardíaca (cuando ha sido tratada con terapia diurética a largo plazo)
  • Períodos prolongados de terapia intravenosa (IV) sin recibir suplementos de tiamina
  • Diálisis prolongada
  • Niveles muy altos de hormona tiroidea (tirotoxicosis)

Una resonancia magnética del cerebro puede mostrar cambios en el tejido cerebral, pero si se sospecha el síndrome de Wernicke-Korsakoff, el tratamiento se debe iniciar inmediatamente. Generalmente no se necesita una resonancia magnética del cerebro.

  • Reviewed last on: 2/6/2010
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Referencias

Brust JCM. Nutrition and alcohol-related neurologic disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 443.

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