What is the Difference Between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

The key difference between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is that Beriberi is a disease caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) that mainly affects both the cardiovascular system and nervous system while Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a form of beriberi disease that mainly affects the nervous system.

Beriberi is a disease in which the body does not have the required amounts of thiamine (vitamin B1. There are a few main types of beriberi; they are wet beriberi (which affects the cardiovascular system), dry beriberi, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (which affects the nervous system). Therefore, beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are two related medical conditions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Beriberi  
3. What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
4. Similarities – Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
5. Beriberi vs Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Beriberi vs Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

What is Beriberi?

Beriberi is a disease caused by the deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) in the body. It is a very rare disease in the United States. Alcohol abuse is a common cause of beriberi. Alcohol consumption heavily can lead to poor nutrition, and excess alcohol makes it harder for the human body to absorb and store thiamine. In rare cases, beriberi can also be caused by genetics. This condition is mainly divided into two main types; wet and dry and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. The symptoms of this condition include weakness in muscle tone, mental confusion, tingling, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. The risk factors for beriberi include alcohol addiction, breastfeeding, eating refined carbs, strenuous physical activity, hyperthyroidism, digestive problems, and high levels of stress.

Moreover, beriberi disease can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood test, urine test, electrocardiogram (ECG) neurological examination. Furthermore, treatment options for beriberi disease may include daily thiamin infusion (orally or intravenously) and diet changes such as taking thiamine-fortified cereals, thiamine-enriched rice, sunflower seeds, beans, green beans, pork, fish, and yogurt.

What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a type of Beriberi disease that mainly affects the nervous system. It is an unusual type of memory disease due to the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome contains two stages; they are Wernicke encephalopathy (severe acute brain disorder) and Korsakoff syndrome (long-term memory disorder). The risk factors for this syndrome include alcohol addiction, digestive problems, chemotherapy, cancer, thyrotoxicosis, certain genetic mutations, heart failure, HIV/AIDS, kidney failure, lack of access to medical care, vomiting, and extreme nausea. Moreover, symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome include balance problems, confabulation, delirium, unsteady gait, drowsiness, hypothermia, heart issues, lack of muscle coordination, eye issues (double vision, ptosis, etc.), amnesia, and hallucinations.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome can be diagnosed through physical examination, arterial blood gas test, complete blood count, neurological testing, CT scan, MRI, and electrocardiogram. Furthermore, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome can be treated through vitamin B1 tablets or injections, intravenous fluids, alcohol use disorder management, nutritional support, and medications (psychological drugs).

What are the Similarities Between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?

• Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are two related medical conditions.
• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a form of Beriberi disease.
• Both medical conditions can be characterized by neurological problems.
• Both medical conditions are due to vitamin B1 deficiency.
• These medical conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination, neurological testing, and imaging tests.
• They are mainly treated by administrating thiamine or vitamin B1.

What is the Difference Between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?

Beriberi is a disease caused due to deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) that mainly affects both the cardiovascular system and nervous systems, while Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a form of Beriberi disease that mainly affects the nervous system. Thus, this is the key difference between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Furthermore, beriberi is caused by alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, genetics, and problems in thiamine absorption and storage. On the other hand, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is caused by poor nutrition, eating disorders, chronic infections, surgery (including weight loss procedures), and head injury.

The below infographic presents the differences between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Beriberi vs Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Nutritional deficiency diseases are due to a lack of nutrition in the diet. Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are two associated medical conditions that are due to nutritional deficiencies. Due to beriberi, the body suffers from a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) that mainly affects both the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a form of Beriberi disease that mainly affects the nervous system. So, this is the key difference between Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Reference:

1. “Beriberi.”  U.S. National Library of Medicine.
2. “Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment: Nord.” National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Image Courtesy:

1. “COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Beri-beri patient TMnr 10006754” By Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “MRI FLAIR sequence Wernicke Encephalopathy” By Jto410 – In my clinical work as a diagnostic radiologist (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia