Wernicke Encephalopathy Quiz
Check your symptoms and
find possible causes with AI for free
Worried about your symptoms?
Start the Wernicke Encephalopathy test with our free AI Symptom Checker.
This will help us personalize your assessment.
By starting the symptom checker, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Brain fog
Can't walk without hold onto something
Leg pain
Can't focus
Unusual behavior
Unable to recall name
Hallucinations
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Wernicke Encephalopathy?
Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurologic condition condition characterized by vision changes, ataxia (loss of coordination and balance), and confusion. It is caused by B1 or thiamine deficiency.
Typical Symptoms of Wernicke Encephalopathy
- Double vision
- History of stomach surgery
- Difficulty speaking, performing tasks, or recognizing things
- Walking has become so unsteady that I always need to hold onto something for support
- Difficulty concentrating
- Poor memory
- Difficulty with fine motor control or coordination in hands and feet
- Increased tendency to trip and fall
Diagnostic Questions for Wernicke Encephalopathy
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Are you experiencing double vision?
- Did you have gastric resection surgery?
- Have you been experiencing difficulty speaking, performing tasks, or recognizing things?
- Do you always need support while walking due to unsteadiness?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating?
Treatment of Wernicke Encephalopathy
Wernicke encephalopathy requires intravenous or intramuscular thiamine for treatment.
Reviewed By:
Samantha Nazareth, MD (Gastroenterology)
Board-certified gastroenterologist. Experience managing gastrointestinal conditions (GERD, IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, celiac disease, NASH) within healthcare organizations (three ambulatory surgical centers, single-specialty practice, multi-specialty practice and solo practice).
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Content updated on Dec 5, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
Was this page helpful?
Tell your friends about us.
We would love to help them too.
Think you might have
Wernicke Encephalopathy?
Try a symptom check testHow Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Wernicke Encephalopathy quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- My eyes hurt when i move them
- Double vision in one eye
- Antisocial behavior and language difficulty
- My vision is not clear
- Double vision when looking with one eye closed
- See everything double
- Can't say what I want to say
- Problems remembering
- Easily distracted
- Speech is difficult and requires conscious effort
- I can not concentrate on my work
- Can't read words like I used to
- Can't perform tasks
- Unable to sit for a long time
- Started having reading difficulty as an adult
See full list
Symptoms Related to Wernicke Encephalopathy
Diseases Related to Wernicke Encephalopathy
FAQs
Q.
Brain Fog? Why Your Brain Needs Thiamine & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
Brain fog can be caused by low thiamine (vitamin B1), which the brain needs for energy; even mild shortage can impair focus and memory, and severe deficiency can lead to Wernicke encephalopathy requiring urgent care. There are several factors to consider. Medically approved next steps include improving whole-food intake, limiting alcohol, asking your doctor about targeted labs for thiamine and other causes, watching for red flags like confusion or balance problems, and discussing safe supplementation; see complete details below to guide the right actions for you.
References:
* Lu'o'ng KV, Nguyên LT. The role of thiamine in the development of Alzheimer's disease. *CNS Neurosci Ther*. 2013 Dec;19(12):886-890. doi: 10.1111/cns.12181. PMID: 24119857; PMCID: PMC6493649.
* Zou P, Sun H, Huang D, Mao Y, Li J, Wang D, Wang H, Wang Z, Han Y, Wei Y, Cao Y, Wang Z. Thiamine deficiency-induced brain dysfunction: mechanisms and therapeutic implications. *Neural Regen Res*. 2023 Mar;18(3):575-582. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.346366. PMID: 36248679; PMCID: PMC9627670.
* Frank RA, De Souza R, Ullman D, Storey E. Thiamine for cognitive impairment in people with and without alcohol misuse. *Cochrane Database Syst Rev*. 2020 Sep 21;9(9):CD004013. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004013.pub4. PMID: 32959885; PMCID: PMC7506690.
* Gold M, Johnson C, Shoemaker T, Smith D, Sayre R, Song D, Zhang H, O'Neill J, Han J. Thiamine deficiency and the brain: A new perspective. *J Neurol Sci*. 2020 Jun 15;413:116852. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.116852. Epub 2020 Mar 27. PMID: 32247169.
* Chandrakumar LP, Ayyappadas P, George B, Menon RP, Radhakrishnan K, Cherian A, Thulaseedharan JV, Jayalakshmi S. A Prospective Observational Study on the Efficacy of Intravenous Thiamine in Treating Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Wernicke Encephalopathy. *Neurol India*. 2022 Sep-Oct;70(5):1848-1853. doi: 10.4103/0028-3886.355152. PMID: 36203588.
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
Ubie is recognized by healthcare and tech leaders
“World’s Best Digital
Health Companies”
Newsweek 2024
“Best With AI”
Google Play Best of 2023
“Best in Class”
Digital Health Awards 2023 (Quarterfinalist)
Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Latt N, Dore G. Thiamine in the treatment of Wernicke encephalopathy in patients with alcohol use disorders. Intern Med J. 2014 Sep;44(9):911-5. doi: 10.1111/imj.12522. PMID: 25201422.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imj.12522Sinha S, Kataria A, Kolla BP, Thusius N, Loukianova LL. Wernicke Encephalopathy-Clinical Pearls. Mayo Clin Proc. 2019 Jun;94(6):1065-1072. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.02.018. PMID: 31171116.
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)30255-1/fulltextFujikawa T, Sogabe Y. Wernicke encephalopathy. CMAJ. 2020 Feb 10;192(6):E143. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.190998. PMID: 32041699; PMCID: PMC7012630.
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/6/E143Ota Y, Capizzano AA, Moritani T, Naganawa S, Kurokawa R, Srinivasan A. Comprehensive review of Wernicke encephalopathy: pathophysiology, clinical symptoms and imaging findings. Jpn J Radiol. 2020 Sep;38(9):809-820. doi: 10.1007/s11604-020-00989-3. Epub 2020 May 10. PMID: 32390125.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11604-020-00989-3