Chamorro Fernández A J, Marcos Martín M, Laso Guzmán F J
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Complejo Hospitalario de Ourense, Ourense, España.
Rev Clin Esp. 2011 Oct;211(9):458-63. doi: 10.1016/j.rce.2011.04.001. Epub 2011 Sep 3.
A 67-year old male was brought to the hospital by his family because he had been suffering from somnolence, bradypsychia and gait disturbance for one week. He lived alone, reported an ethanol intake higher than 100-120 g/day. His diet was limited in quality and amount. The physical examination showed stigmata of chronic liver disease. The neurological exam revealed right-side cerebellar tremor, bilateral dysmetria and gait ataxia as well as hyporeflexia in the lower limbs. He was diagnosed of Wernicke encephalopathy. How should this patient be evaluated and treated?