WERNICKE-KORSAKOFF SYNDROME IN PRIMIPAROUS: CASE REPORT

Abstract

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome results from the combination of Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome, and is associated with thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. Wernicke's encephalopathy is characterized by ataxia, ophthalmoparesis, and mental confusion, with a higher prevalence in severe alcoholics, although it can also occur due to malnutrition, liver diseases, anorexia nervosa, among other causes. Korsakoff's syndrome, on the other hand, is a chronic condition, diagnosed by confabulatory amnesia and difficulties in organizing events in time. Thiamine deficiency impairs energy production in nerve cells and affects brain function. Changes in the central nervous system, especially in the limbic circuits, are seen on imaging. Hyperemesis gravidarum, characterized by intense nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, can lead to malnutrition and thiamine deficiency, with the risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, as demonstrated in this report by a primiparous woman from a tertiary service in the interior of São Paulo.