Common Causes Of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is characterized by intense disruptions in an individual's eating habits and behaviors in addition to the thoughts and emotions that drive it. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa. The long term deprivation of nutrients that results from an eating disorder can deplete thiamine in the body, leading to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. With eating disorders, the malnutrition is often so severe that the fats and minerals needed to correctly metabolize compounds like thiamine are not present. This means that not only is thiamine itself not provided to the body, but the body would likely not be able to absorb it even if it were provided. One study estimated at least one-third of all patients hospitalized for complications of an eating disorder had exhibited deficient levels of thiamine.

Continue reading to discover more information about the causes of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer typically originates in the lining of the stomach. When the mucus-producing cells become cancerous, the malignant lesion is called an adenocarcinoma. In many cases, parts of the stomach itself or glands surrounding it are removed completely. This already puts the normal functions of the stomach, including the digestion and absorption of nutrients such as thiamine, in a compromised state. On top of that, the factor of poor nutrition from food intake is depleted further by the reduced or absent appetite of patients with gastric cancer. It can sometimes be painful for patients with this kind of cancer to eat, or they may not be able to keep food down properly. Additionally, chemotherapy furthers the difficulty of getting and maintaining proper nutrient levels in the body. Chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil-based medications are also known to trigger the process of metabolic synthesis of thiamine, ridding the body of it too quickly. Both elements of poor nutritional intake and poor nutrient absorption equally contribute to the development of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in patients with gastric cancer.

Unveil perhaps the most common cause of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome now.