Symptom of Korsakow’s syndrome is memory loss. Both forgetting of old memory contents (retrograde amnesia) and inability to remember newly experienced things (anterograde amnesia) occur. The loss of the ability to remember new experiences is more frequent.
The memory impairment may be so pronounced that the patient is unable to memorize facts even for seconds. Lack of drive, increased tiredness and strong fatigability, euphoria and strong emotional fluctuations may also occur.
Alcoholic Korsakow syndrome is the result of vitamin B1 deficiency. It is considered a subtype of beriberi. If Wernicke’s encephalopathy is not treated in time with thiamine (vitamin B1) supplements, it very often results in Korsakow’s syndrome.
