Alternative Names & Classifications:
Thiamine Encephalopathy (CLINICAL)
Description
This condition actually represents two distinct but overlapping stages of severe brain damage caused by a lack of vitamin B1. Wernicke encephalopathy is the acute, life-threatening phase, while Korsakoff syndrome is the chronic, irreversible memory phase. The lack of thiamine severely damages the thalamus and hypothalamus, disrupting brain energy metabolism.