Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome (Psychiatry) - USMLE Step 1

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[@echase416]

My uncle’s wife was mixing alcohol and Rx pills. People thoughts she was developing dementia. It can be important to do a blood test called GGT to detect chronic alcohol usage.

[@cloudwhite7481]

thanks! i'd listen to neurology lessons like this with great pleasure

[@binky613]

My father who lived a not so savory life died from complications of karsokoff syndrome. He spent decades of his life in and out of homelessness, drug addiction, and alcoholism. He also had aids and wasn't taking his meds. He was brought to a hospital last year with gangrene in his toes due to circulation issues and he didnt seem to have a idea of what decade it was. He was diagnosed with Late stage karsokoff syndrome, and aids dementia, along with a blood circulation issue. His brother became his caretaker and didn't do a great job at it. Sent him alone to a doctor appointment. He decided after the doctors appointment that his brother was out to get him as he couldn't remember his diagnosis day to day. Didn't understand why he lost his toes on a daily basis, didn't understand why he had to take all these medications, didn't understand why he couldn't go home to his wife and kids(divorced in the late 80s) he just didn't return home after the appointment. Went missing for 3 months. His skeletal remains were found in a old house he lived in that is now abandoned about 3 months after he went missing. He hadn't lived in the house in over a decade. ☹️ It's a sad life he lived.

[@sherylmcguire1790]

OHH that's so sad :((

[@keariewashburn4680]

I can relate to your story. It's heartbreaking and sad. My aunt is still in the hospital now for 3 months. I found her with 3rd degree burns on the whole left side of her body. Heavy alcoholic and history of drug use. Most of her life. She had her home as she was widowed. Anyway, has no idea or knows anything about what happened ect. She has to have 24/7 care and we have to use a facility placement. I'm a retired nurse and I'm limited at how much I can do. I take care of my parents too. I just want her safe and she gets placed close to home so I can't see her more and other family members can see her and visit too. She is starting to not really care about eating again. 😒 but I just try to encourage her and comfort her and protect her. She has not mentioned anything about drinking , drugs or smoking. It's like a new kinda life in a sense. She doesn't remember all the awful things that had gone on most of her life. But this is what's happening and I will be doing what I can to make sure she is happy and safe ❤️ I hate this happening to people It is heartbreaking 💔 😢

[@binky613]

@@keariewashburn4680 it's really sad. I'm sorry about your aunt.

[@ABDULRAZZAK-kj3vf]

Thanks a lot .. Your lectures playlist are really really helpful for me

[@inam2916]

loved this lesson. learned a lot. keep up the good work doc :)

[@lindaklinda1899]

It irritates me that I had some how heard or seen this syndrome and knew right away that this is what my dad has he has gone to a few neurologists and they kept diagnosing him with dementia and even early stages of alzheimers which he does not have. I just wish they'd get it right, not that it's going to do anything for him as I've known for years that he wasn't going to get any better than he was at that point. Sorry I think I busted needed to vent.

[@Mr-sd7ez]

it's okey buddy hope you're doing better sometimes things go that way and we need to let it go to stay sane have a great day

[@mrhaci7747]

make him quit drinking

[@r3cy]

it's probably because medical professionals are taught to look for the 'classic triad' of symptoms of confusion, gait-ataxia, and nystagmus (as also highlighted in this video), but this triad is only seen in 10% of cases. these symptoms can be interpreted as any number of other more common conditions when encountered individually. Probably needs wider education on alcohol screening tools (SADQ/AUDIT?) to highlight when these individual symptoms warrant consideration of WKS.

[@mammadingo9165]

Sorry you had to experience this .

[@chrism3188]

My father (lifelong excessive beer drinker), stopped eating and slipped into a severely declining state over the pandemic resulting in him being unconscious on the ground for 2 days having lived off beer for a few weeks. He was diagnosed with WKS and spent 54 days in hospital (was stable and could've been released 2 weeks earlier but he was still recovering and his final discharge assessment would determine if he kept his medical power of attorney, so we kept him there hoping to get him over the bar). Luckily his organs recovered quickly in hospital but his walking (ataxia) and his memory (new short to long term memory) were severely compromised. We were told he would likely need full time care for rest of his life and he may never walk. I worked with him daily starting on day 15 in hospital through discharge for 60 days both physically and mentally and slow recovery was noticed, i got him to shuffle walk and remember things for 1 hr, then 2 then a day, but progress started to noticeably taper and was almost stagnant at around day 120. All the research I did basically said there is basically no treatment (given neuron brain damage) other than 100% no alcohol and vitamin B. But then I started looking into TBI and stroke recovery since there are some parallels and found some recent stem cell trial results that looked very hopeful. I tried to contact several research doctors but no response and there weren't any new trials soon or that i wanted to risk him being in the 50% placebo group so I looked for clinics internationally and found a few. after looking up reviews and distances we ended up choosing Bioexcelerator in Colombia. The clinic didn't have any experience treating his condition and was hesitant because of the rate of progression from continued alcoholism, but I advocated hard and they accepted him as a patient. 6 months after his hospitalization we were in Colombia and he got 110 million stem cells injected via IV(Not as needed) and 40 million stem cells injected intrathecally into his spinal cavity fluid to migrate to the brain (this was the main hopeful treatment). 48 hrs later he was noticeably sharper and clearer eyed, 72 hrs later he could remember details from earlier in the day or a movie he was watching much better, 2 weeks later he could still remember his trip to Colombia and what connecting flights he was on and where we stayed on the route from Colombia to Canada, etc. 3 weeks later he drove himself to his dental appointment, settled the bill and drove back home all on his own with his face frozen! and now he recites summaries of articles he read in the paper 1-3 days before.. It's been like a miracle. I felt like I needed to share my experience in case it helps even one other person, we still have a long road ahead and we pray his recovery continues at the current pace, we are now on week 4 after treatment. As positive as my father's response has been, I can't say it would be the same in all cases (i don't want to give false hope, but I do want to give hope and credit where it's due) we also don't know yet how far the treatment will help him get back to his former baseline, as you may know, WKS is considered as a spectrum from acute /temporary(Wernicke) to more chronic/permanent (korsakoff), FYI in my dad's case the doctors indicated based on his clinical diagnosis and MRIs he was likely mid spectrum with some definite permanent damages but hopeful prognosis on some recovery over many mths/yrs.

[@kikibridges1564]

Extremely helpful in understanding my mom's recent diagnosis. Thank you!

[@cloudwhite7481]

I am a foreigner but it's so easy for me to understand all this! great job

[@aimlesslost]

My aunt barely ate for the past year and a half and also increased her alcohol consumption at night. This summer she called me crying saying that she didn’t know what she was doing any more . I saw her house a while ago and it’s so true. Pizza boxes in her sink . Trash everywhere . Her walking also got really strange , like a toddler trying to balance on a tightrope. She wouldn’t listen to me and I have no authority over her, but her sisters finally did something and had her go to a dr , but he didn’t diagnose her with this , just prescribed an anti depressant . I doubt that he checked her for vitamin deficiencies and he only gave her a lung X-ray. It’s pretty frustrating . I’ve helped clean up the mess in her home, but can’t force anyone to get her more thoroughly checked out.

[@evanvrinten1851]

Call someone on her behalf if you're able. That's a really unfortunate experience with the diagnosis and treatment. Advocate, harass, and bother people until you reach someone who is willing to help her. Best of luck.

[@aimlesslost]

@@evanvrinten1851 I'm trying but she doesn't respect me since I'm younger and I have no authority. I threatened to call APS to my mom , which seemed to more motivate her her sisters to help. I know I can't do it on my own , especially since I have no authority and she doesnt ever listen to me. Also she was an established hoarder before this but now has been hoarding extra trash than usual.

[@chrism3188]

My father (lifelong excessive beer drinker), stopped eating and slipped into a severely declining state over the pandemic resulting in him being unconscious on the ground for 2 days having lived off beer for a few weeks. He was diagnosed with WKS and spent 54 days in hospital (was stable and could've been released 2 weeks earlier but he was still recovering and his final discharge assessment would determine if he kept his medical power of attorney, so we kept him there hoping to get him over the bar). Luckily his organs recovered quickly in hospital but his walking (ataxia) and his memory (new short to long term memory) were severely compromised. We were told he would likely need full time care for rest of his life and he may never walk. I worked with him daily starting on day 15 in hospital through discharge for 60 days both physically and mentally and slow recovery was noticed, i got him to shuffle walk and remember things for 1 hr, then 2 then a day, but progress started to noticeably taper and was almost stagnant at around day 120. All the research I did basically said there is basically no treatment (given neuron brain damage) other than 100% no alcohol and vitamin B. But then I started looking into TBI and stroke recovery since there are some parallels and found some recent stem cell trial results that looked very hopeful. I tried to contact several research doctors but no response and there weren't any new trials soon or that i wanted to risk him being in the 50% placebo group so I looked for clinics internationally and found a few. after looking up reviews and distances we ended up choosing Bioexcelerator in Colombia. The clinic didn't have any experience treating his condition and was hesitant because of the rate of progression from continued alcoholism, but I advocated hard and they accepted him as a patient. 6 months after his hospitalization we were in Colombia and he got 110 million stem cells injected via IV(Not as needed) and 40 million stem cells injected intrathecally into his spinal cavity fluid to migrate to the brain (this was the main hopeful treatment). 48 hrs later he was noticeably sharper and clearer eyed, 72 hrs later he could remember details from earlier in the day or a movie he was watching much better, 2 weeks later he could still remember his trip to Colombia and what connecting flights he was on and where we stayed on the route from Colombia to Canada, etc. 3 weeks later he drove himself to his dental appointment, settled the bill and drove back home all on his own with his face frozen! and now he recites summaries of articles he read in the paper 1-3 days before.. It's been like a miracle. I felt like I needed to share my experience in case it helps even one other person, we still have a long road ahead and we pray his recovery continues at the current pace, we are now on week 4 after treatment. As positive as my father's response has been, I can't say it would be the same in all cases (i don't want to give false hope, but I do want to give hope and credit where it's due) we also don't know yet how far the treatment will help him get back to his former baseline, as you may know, WKS is considered as a spectrum from acute /temporary(Wernicke) to more chronic/permanent (korsakoff), FYI in my dad's case the doctors indicated based on his clinical diagnosis and MRIs he was likely mid spectrum with some definite permanent damages but hopeful prognosis on some recovery over many mths/yrs.

[@erindowling8540]

Same thing happened to my husband. Then I took him to a hospital and they knew immediately what it was. He was an alcoholic but hadn't had a drink in months when he started showing symptoms

[@erindowling8540]

​@@aimlesslostYou are very brave to stand up to the adults in your life.

[@bellabella7899]

awesome lesson!

[@jdsguam]

This was me about 7 years ago because of my alcoholism. Thankfully, I didn't damage my brain that much (that I'm aware of); but, alcohol did do a number on my heart.

[@abrahamkibret6591]

THANK YOU DOC.

[@nilukademel3458]

Thank you

[@anilbishnoi513]

❤️ yes.....! I found a great channel

[@carriebaker8370]

Great video!

[@ahealingplace7350]

Great lecture!!

[@moseskafwabulula7068]

Well explained

[@syedasakinazaidi3044]

Thanks alot sir

[@cloudwhite7481]

and I'd like the same lessons about gastroenterology too

[@myway420_]

Great video

[@chessglobal]

Good info.

[@echase416]

This deficiency can occur in IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) aka Crohn’s and colitis (ulcerative colitis). Weird fact: Thiamine (Vitamin B1) can go deficient in just 30 days of malabsorption.

[@lookingatyou1478]

can become deficient in as little as ten days!

[@chrism3188]

My father (lifelong excessive beer drinker), stopped eating and slipped into a severely declining state over the pandemic resulting in him being unconscious on the ground for 2 days having lived off beer for a few weeks. He was diagnosed with WKS and spent 54 days in hospital (was stable and could've been released 2 weeks earlier but he was still recovering and his final discharge assessment would determine if he kept his medical power of attorney, so we kept him there hoping to get him over the bar). Luckily his organs recovered quickly in hospital but his walking (ataxia) and his memory (new short to long term memory) were severely compromised. We were told he would likely need full time care for rest of his life and he may never walk. I worked with him daily starting on day 15 in hospital through discharge for 60 days both physically and mentally and slow recovery was noticed, i got him to shuffle walk and remember things for 1 hr, then 2 then a day, but progress started to noticeably taper and was almost stagnant at around day 120. All the research I did basically said there is basically no treatment (given neuron brain damage) other than 100% no alcohol and vitamin B. But then I started looking into TBI and stroke recovery since there are some parallels and found some recent stem cell trial results that looked very hopeful. I tried to contact several research doctors but no response and there weren't any new trials soon or that i wanted to risk him being in the 50% placebo group so I looked for clinics internationally and found a few. after looking up reviews and distances we ended up choosing Bioexcelerator in Colombia. The clinic didn't have any experience treating his condition and was hesitant because of the rate of progression from continued alcoholism, but I advocated hard and they accepted him as a patient. 6 months after his hospitalization we were in Colombia and he got 110 million stem cells injected via IV(Not as needed) and 40 million stem cells injected intrathecally into his spinal cavity fluid to migrate to the brain (this was the main hopeful treatment). 48 hrs later he was noticeably sharper and clearer eyed, 72 hrs later he could remember details from earlier in the day or a movie he was watching much better, 2 weeks later he could still remember his trip to Colombia and what connecting flights he was on and where we stayed on the route from Colombia to Canada, etc. 3 weeks later he drove himself to his dental appointment, settled the bill and drove back home all on his own with his face frozen! and now he recites summaries of articles he read in the paper 1-3 days before.. It's been like a miracle. I felt like I needed to share my experience in case it helps even one other person, we still have a long road ahead and we pray his recovery continues at the current pace, we are now on week 4 after treatment. As positive as my father's response has been, I can't say it would be the same in all cases (i don't want to give false hope, but I do want to give hope and credit where it's due) we also don't know yet how far the treatment will help him get back to his former baseline, as you may know, WKS is considered as a spectrum from acute /temporary(Wernicke) to more chronic/permanent (korsakoff), FYI in my dad's case the doctors indicated based on his clinical diagnosis and MRIs he was likely mid spectrum with some definite permanent damages but hopeful prognosis on some recovery over many mths/yrs.

[@twinflamecollective]

Thank you for sharing. How many years has your father been drinking?

[@chrism3188]

@@twinflamecollective over 40

[@everythingnice4141]

Your story is very helpful as I am dealing with the same situation with my own father. I too have found nobody who can or will treat him and they are suggesting a long term care where he is currently staying. My dad hasnt walked in almost a year. I also contacted out of country hospitals about stem cell transplant but wasnt able to find one that i trusted. I would love to speak more about the place that helped your father. I am desperate to help my Dad. Thanks for sharing this gives me hope.

[@chrism3188]

@@everythingnice4141 sorry to hear about your dad, we went with Bioxcellerator in Colombia given their client list and reviews etc. It was very much like the videos they post. Haven't heard much about the others.. We actually want to try another round and would like to stay a little closer but also have trust issues so might do biox again

[@aimeee.kimberling5054]

@@chrism3188 would you mind sharing what this cost you or a general idea. How long did he remain in the hospital in Columbia? Strangely enough I have stem cells stored from when my first son was born and my dad would be a 90% chance of being a perfect match but they can’t be used in US. Also out of curiosity how old is your dad? Thanks again for sharing your story.

[@produceking71]

I have this and headed for round 2

[@rokidaa.3954]

woooww!!!! so goood!!!

[@yusi_1998]

Hello. I really like your videos. However, I would like to know if it was possible for u to also upload the powerpoint lectures, so we quickly pass through after we watch each video.. The videos are really good, I enjoy listening to them. Thank you for the videos.

[@marie.s9995]

Mammilary bodies have connection to olfaction too. This is prob why my colleague who is into crazy ETOH abuse complains about NOT smelling anything. She blames covid-19 but it's been almost 24 months and can't smell still.

[@queeniesarver9788]

I have this. Have only known for about a year now. I have a serious vitamin and Mineral deffcenty. I have it because I have malnutrition due to two Gastric Bypass surgery. Many Surgeries on my intestines from removal of alot of my small and large intestines. My food goes threw very very fast. Not digesting properly. 😢 Nothing gets digested properly. I suffer from no energy. Brain can't 🧠 process thoughts or memories. Many vitamins and minerals couldn't be detected at all ZERO. I lost weight so fast going from highest weight 455lbs. to 91lbs. So to be very clear I am not an alcoholic but cannot drink Alcohol because my body can't handle it. One wine cooler and I am loopy. Brain goes on spin cycle and I can't walk. I am getting continued care. Blood transfusions, plasma transfusions, iron so very important. All B's D's are low. I also can't digest pills. Take 24 RX's and only absorbed very minimum. It's hard for me to deal with it. I do get all infusions. They help but the problem never goes away. One weighed 455lbs to 94lbs malnutrition. It's horrible. I suffer horrible effects. I can't heal well ever. My Autoimmune system also shut down. Iv's and shots like I am a pin cushion. Ports get infections that are life threatening. All my Docters say it's a medical miracle I am still alive. I was in a Coma for 8 months. I had to learn to walk again, feed myself, bath, all normal daily care had to be learned all over again. I am BLESSED LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD! I AM SITTING AT HOME NOW!

[@gilbertkiprono4189]

This is home😍

[@tron.44]

"Veyrnika" not "were nicky".

[@jaypeejj]

❤

[@cloudwhite7481]

and traumatology! )))))

[@daviddimbleby6725]

Don't drink heavily, it will catch up with YOU

[@donnawoods8039]

I am a caretaker for a woman with wernicke-korsakoff. She drank for years and refused to eat. Is it okay for her to eat a lot of candy? She hides it in the house and eats it all at once. If I find it, I hide most of it and dole it out to her. But I notice that when she stays on all sugar and carbs all day, she seems more confused.

[@usernametexasantique3742]

Unrelated she has candida look it up

[@donnawoods8039]

@@usernametexasantique3742 I know people who have had candida. This is not candida. She is getting worse, like my mother who had alzheimer's did.

[@mrhaci7747]

No it is not okay

[@sherylmcguire1790]

@@donnawoods8039 It makes you wonder that perhaps she is really lacking a vitamin or mineral with her appetite for only sweets! My mom didn't have a drink in her life and has this. Put her on keto by Dr Bredesen, helps.

[@echase416]

Sugar bingeing can occur in dementia and also pre-diabetes.

[@bluemystic2418]

Is there a step 2? what happens next as the disease continues to progress?

[@kyliebeechall3984]

Nobody tells you how this disease progresses.. I think possibly because it’s ,s spectrum disorder so everyone is different . My mum had it and was only diagnosed with it in July …she passed on the 10th December. My mum walked into hospital with sickness in may and came out bed bound,PEG fed and scared and confused EVERY day until she passed. My only comfort is that I managed to get her home and care for her until it was her time

[@mammadingo9165]

I can't get doctors to take this seriously how do I get anyone to diagnose my husband !

[@gigihomestead2927]

I had my husband at the emergency room and I was told by doctor it wasn't a emergency room visit. He was dying. Before that I had him in the hospital. Doctor told me he wasn't going to stop drinking. He had to be monitored by a doctor and giving special drugs or it could kill him coming off the alcohol. They will not treat him because he will not quit. They don't care. You just do the best you can. Treat him with love. Be firm and it is hard. Patience, patience and patience . Prayers are most important. He is my blessing. I watch Dementia Care blazers on KZbin. Very helpful for me as a care giver.

[@gigihomestead2927]

Also I have cut back his drinking a lot. It is a challenge because he always wants to drink.

[@TheOpticalFreak]

So when you drink a lot you need to take extra vitamin B1 tablets!? And multivitamin pills with some glucose sport's drink!? 🤔

[@HappyDayRoots]

😭