Circulatory Studies in Wernicke's Encephalopathy

Although Wernicke's disease is clearly related to thiamine deficiency, it is rarely accompanied by the overt signs of congestive failure. There are symptoms of disordered cardiovascular function in many patients with this disease, but the relation of these symptoms to thiamine deficiency has remained undefined. In the present study, an attempt is made to define these symptoms, particularly, in relation to specific treatment with thiamine. Part 1 of this study is concerned mainly with the determination of the cardiac output in 7 patients, as determined by the Evans blue dye-dilution technic; part 2 describes the postural response to tilting in 12 patients.