Korsakoff's psychosis due to massive beer intake provoked by diabetes insipidus.
Posttraumatic diabetes insipidus, acute pancreatitis, and Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis in a 33-year-old white male alcohol abuser resulted in near-fatal cardiovascular collapse. The Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis resulted from drinking massive quantities of beer to satisfy the thirst induced by diabetes insipidus. Although the diabetes insipidus was controlled with vasopressin, and the need for vasopressin resolved two months after diagnosis, the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome had not resolved by six months.
Farr
R W
RW
School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, West Virginia University Medical Center, Morgantown 26506.
Blankenship
D C
DC
Viti
A
A
Albrink
M J
MJ
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000425:Alcohol Amnestic Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D001515:Beer; D003919:Diabetes Insipidus / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000150:complications*; D014899:Wernicke Encephalopathy / Q000209:etiology