Question

Eric has been an alcoholic for 10 years. He drinks daily and consumes the majority of his caloric intake this way. He is disoriented, irritable, and showing dysrhythmias on the cardiac monitor.

a) Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
b) Delirium tremens
c) Alcoholic hepatitis
d) Cirrhosis

Answer 1

Eric's symptoms point towards (a) Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a condition associated with chronic alcoholism and thiamine deficiency, marked by disorientation, irritability, and cardiac dysrhythmias.

Step-by-step explanation:

Eric is presenting symptoms that are suggestive of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a neurological disorder typically associated with chronic alcoholism. This syndrome is characterized by disorientation, irritability, and balance and gait disturbances. It results from a deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1), which is common in people with chronic alcohol use due to poor dietary habits and the inhibitory effect of alcohol on thiamine absorption and utilization.

Wernicke's encephalopathy, which includes symptoms like the confusions and dysrhythmias described, can lead to Korsakoff's psychosis, a chronic memory disorder. In this case, while delirium tremens, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis are also conditions associated with chronic alcohol use, the specific symptoms of disorientation, irritability, and cardiac dysrhythmias point more towards Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.