PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017
Medical & Surgical Nursing
Easy
Korsakoff's syndrome occurs due to the intake of?
Appeared in: PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017
Explanation
- Korsakoff's syndrome is a chronic neurological condition resulting from a severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1).
- Chronic heavy alcohol consumption is the most common cause of this thiamine deficiency, as alcohol impairs its absorption and utilization.
- The syndrome is the chronic phase of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and is characterized by profound anterograde amnesia (inability to form new memories) and often confabulation (inventing memories).
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: While chronic cannabis use can affect short-term memory and cognitive function, it does not cause the specific pattern of severe brain damage and profound amnesia from thiamine deficiency seen in Korsakoff's syndrome.
- Option B: Opioids like opium are central nervous system depressants that cause sedation, respiratory depression, and dependence. Their primary neurological effects are not related to thiamine deficiency.
- Option D: Amphetamine is a stimulant that can lead to psychosis, agitation, anxiety, and cardiovascular effects. It does not cause thiamine deficiency or the characteristic amnesia of Korsakoff's syndrome.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: Knowing Etiology of Korsakoff's syndrome helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
- Nurses must assess for signs of malnutrition and chronic alcohol use in any patient presenting with confusion, ataxia, or memory loss.
- A critical nursing intervention is to administer thiamine BEFORE giving any glucose-containing IV fluids to a suspected alcoholic or malnourished patient. Giving glucose first can deplete the remaining thiamine stores and precipitate acute Wernicke's encephalopathy.
- What if? If a patient with a history of alcohol abuse presents with confusion and an unsteady gait but no significant memory loss, the primary diagnosis would be acute Wernicke's encephalopathy. This is a medical emergency requiring immediate IV thiamine to prevent progression to irreversible Korsakoff's syndrome.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core concept in the question: the cause of 'Korsakoff's syndrome'.
- Recall the pathophysiology of this syndrome. It is a well-known neurological disorder linked to a specific nutritional deficiency (thiamine/vitamin B1).
- Connect this deficiency to its most common cause among the options provided.
- Evaluate each substance: Alcohol is the classic cause of thiamine deficiency leading to this syndrome. Cannabis, Opium, and Amphetamines have different primary mechanisms of action and do not cause this specific condition.
- Select the option that directly leads to the pathological state described in the question.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Etiology of Korsakoff's syndrome
- Stem keywords: Korsakoff's syndrome, intake
- Lead-in keywords: occurs due to
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
qZ-ScBz8LjZYME_T_U4be
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 797-799, 893-895
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 4236-4238
Practise the full PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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