Wernicke's encephalopathy: a more common disease recognized in the past 51 to benefit neuropathology research

Abstract

The author conducted 2891 brain autopsies in four years from 1973 to 1976, and 51 cases were pathologically diagnosed as Wernicke’s encephalopathy, accounting for 1.7% of the total number of autopsies. Such an astonishing number has rarely been reported in the literature. Among the 51 cases, 38 were male and 13 were female (male:female = 3:1). The ages ranged from 30 to 90 years old. The age distribution of men and women was similar, and the peak incidence was between 40 and 50 years old. 45 cases had alcohol poisoning, and 6 cases had incomplete medical history and the cause could not be determined. Complete autopsies were performed in all cases and neuropathological findings were: