ABSTRACT

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE), also referred to as the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, is a metabolic disorder in humans caused by thiamine defi ciency (TD) that is characterized neurologically by ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and confusion/memory loss. WE is encountered in disorders of grossly compromised nutrition, as well as in chronic alcoholism and HIV-AIDS (Butterworth 1993, Butterworth et al. 1991).