Korsakoff Syndrome: Underdiagnosed and Underserved

Rajkumar Patel, MBBS^1*, Olaniyi David Ogundeji, MBBS², Oluwafeyikemi Fasina, MBBS³, Hafiz Olatunde, MD, MPH¹

Abstract

Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is a late neuropsychiatric manifestation of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) in which there is a disorder of selective anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Although this can happen in a variety of conditions that lead to thiamine deficiency and, as a result, damage the medial temporal lobes, KS is most frequently seen in individuals with alcohol use disorder after an episode of WE. In some individuals, like in this case report, KS develops without a recognized acute episode of WE. It has been suggested that in these cases, KS may result from a series of subclinical or unrecognized episodes of WE.

Keywords

Korsakoff syndrome; Wernicke–Korsakoff; Thiamine deficiency; Amnesia; Amnestic disorders.

Cite This Article

Patel, R., Ogundeji, O. D., Fasina, O. F., Olatunde, H. (2025). Korsakoff Syndrome: Underdiagnosed and Underserved. International Journal of Scientific Advances (IJSCIA), Volume 6| Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2025, Pages 890-892 URL: https://www.ijscia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Volume6-Issue5-Sep-Oct-No.945-890-892.pdf

Volume 6 | Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2025