Q : 49-years old male with known history of alcoholism with signs of Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE) is now admitted to ICU with hypotension. Which of the following tends to be more common? (select one)
A) Hypothermia
B) Hyperthermia
Answer: A
The clinical significance of hypothermia in WE patients is that it makes pupils unreactive! Hypothermia is a poor prognostic sign. This is because in WE, lesions are found in the posterior and posterolateral hypothalamus, the location consistent with the known thermoregulatory functions. Hypothermia usually presents with other signs of autonomic involvement, such as hypotension and syncope.
#toxicity
#neurology
References:
1. Harper CG, Giles M, Finlay-Jones R. Clinical signs in the Wernicke-Korsakoff complex: a retrospective analysis of 131 cases diagnosed at necropsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1986; 49:341.
2. Fischbeck KH, Simon RP. Neurological manifestations of accidental hypothermia. Ann Neurol 1981; 10:384.
3. Philip G, Smith JF. Hypothermia and Wernicke's encephalopathy. Lancet 1973; 2:122.
4. Victor M, Adams RA, Collins GH. The Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and related disorders due to alcoholism and malnutrition, FA Davis, Philadelphia 1989.
No comments:
Post a Comment