Patients with KS depending on long-term care usually have comorbidity in more than one domain (somatic and psychiatric). The indications for prescribing psychotropic drugs are in many cases unclear and it seems probable that they are often given to manage challenging behavior. Longitudinal studies on the evidence for this prescription behavior and possible alternatives are recommended.

We present a descriptive, retrospective study of initial symptoms, comorbidity, and alcohol withdrawal in 73 alcoholic patients with subsequent Korsakoff syndrome. In 25/73 (35%) of the patients the classic triad of Wernicke's encephalopathy with ocular symptoms, ataxia and confusion, was found. In at least 6/35 (17%) of the initial deliria (95% confidence interval: 10-25%) we observed no other underlying causes, thus excluding other somatic causes, medication, (recent) alcohol withdrawal, or intoxication. We suggest that these deliria may have been representing Wernicke's encephalopathy. A high frequency (15%) of diabetics may reflect a contributing factor of diabetes mellitus in the evolution of the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

No abstract