Hypothermia and coma in the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

The development of hypothermia and coma are rare complications of the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This report describes three patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy in whom hypothermia was a presenting feature. The second patient described was also comatose. The frequency of occurrence and the significance of these signs are reviewed in detail, as is their potential reversibility with adequate doses of parenteral thiamine. More careful attention to the rectal temperature in patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy may reveal a higher frequency of hypothermia than has been previously suspected.