practice question - thiamine

by Brady Kinesia (Posted Wed May 08, 2013 6:00 pm)Hello ! If this were a multiple-choice question on an exam, then the best choice is clearly "Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome". Severe chronic alcoholism can cause B-vitamin deficiencies, of which thiamine is the most important example. However, there is not universal consensus about the role of glucose administration. Nowadays there is more evidence that a single acute administration of glucose will not suddenly precipitate Wernicke-Korsakoff. However, carbohydrate loading or longer-term glucose in the absence of thiamine can result in iatrogenic worsening of Wernicke-Korsakoff. Let's say you have a chronic alcoholic admitted who is also hypoglycemic, co-adminstration of thiamine as you bring them up to normoglycemia is prudent.
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