Wernicke's encephalopathy: a preventable cause of maternal death

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a rare cause of maternal death. It is a difficult diagnosis to make but prevention and treatment is straightforward. Severe thiamine deficiency causes Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Correct diagnosis and treatment with thiamine will decrease the case fatality rate.

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of hospital medicine (London, England : 2005) Vol. 72; no. 1; p. 31
Main Authors Wedisinghe, Lilantha, Jayakody, Kaushadh, Arambage, Kirana
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.01.2011
Subjects
Female
Humans
Korsakoff Syndrome - complications
Korsakoff Syndrome - mortality
Korsakoff Syndrome - prevention & control
Maternal Mortality
Pregnancy
Prognosis
Thiamine - therapeutic use
Thiamine Deficiency - complications
Thiamine Deficiency - mortality
Thiamine Deficiency - prevention & control
Wernicke Encephalopathy - complications
Wernicke Encephalopathy - mortality
Wernicke Encephalopathy - prevention & control
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Summary:Wernicke's encephalopathy is a rare cause of maternal death. It is a difficult diagnosis to make but prevention and treatment is straightforward. Severe thiamine deficiency causes Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Correct diagnosis and treatment with thiamine will decrease the case fatality rate.
ISSN:1750-8460
DOI:10.12968/hmed.2011.72.1.31