More recently MRI has detected cases in patients who survived the insult. Thiamine and vitamin B complex have been used in patients who recovered, but identical therapy has been used in most patients who do not recover. In patients who improved, the CT and MRI findings also improved. Reliable numbers are not available, but the mortality and morbidity rates are still presumed to be high. There is no racial predilection.
Most patients have a history of alcoholism and poor nutrition.
The tempo of onset and the range of clinical symptomatology are variable. Some patients present to the hospital with sudden onset of stupor or coma and some present with seizures. Spasticity often complicates the gait disorder. Psychiatric disturbances, incontinence, hemiparesis, aphasia, and apraxia have all been described. Though the findings on physical examination are typically nonspecific, a good physical examination may offer some clues to the diagnosis.