Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1983 Jul;46(7):593-8.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp.46.7.593.

The incidence of Wernicke's encephalopathy in Australia--a neuropathological study of 131 cases

C Harper

The incidence of Wernicke's encephalopathy in Australia--a neuropathological study of 131 cases

C Harper. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1983 Jul.

Abstract

In a nine year necropsy study in Western Australia, the incidence of Wernicke's encephalopathy was 2.8%. The incidence appears to be increasing. Although Wernicke's encephalopathy is a nutritional disorder, the majority of cases occur in the alcoholic population. Only 20% of the 131 cases studied had been diagnosed clinically as Wernicke's encephalopathy. This large discrepancy between numbers of cases diagnosed clinically and pathologically suggests that chronic Wernicke's encephalopathy, which comprised 83% of the cases, may be the end result of repeated subclinical episodes of Wernicke's encephalopathy. Thus, Wernicke's encephalopathy could be considered a "progressive" disorder and as patients respond well to thiamine replacement therapy, early diagnosis is important. Alternatively, prevention by vitamin enrichment of alcoholic beverages may have to be considered in an attempt to minimise the social and economic impact of Wernicke's encephalopathy on Western society.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. N Engl J Med. 1966 Apr 28;274(17):937-9 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1978 Jun 2;200(4345):1076-8 - PubMed
    1. N Engl J Med. 1978 Aug 10;299(6):285-9 - PubMed
    1. Lancet. 1978 Aug 19;2(8086):400-1 - PubMed
    1. Med J Aust. 1978 Dec 30;2(14):608-11 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources