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Although heavy, compulsive drinking prevents people from eating healthy food, alcohol also prevents the body from absorbing thiamine and leeches it from the body. The liver naturally mush brain releases thiamine into the body in an active state. The thiamine stored in the liver is rendered inactive and unusable once a person begins to drink heavily and often.
- Thiamine vitamins can be given through an IV or an intramuscular injection.
- With Wernicke’s encephalopathy, a person will develop neurological symptoms because the brain is suffering from lesions that form from a lack of adequate thiamine.
- Unless they get help, most people with Wernicke’s will develop Korsakoff syndrome.
Our staff is caring and professional, and truly want to help each patient who comes through our doors. We focus on you as a person, not just an addiction, which is especially good for those dealing with health issues such as Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome. Our holistic treatment plans include medical care and different types of therapy and health plans to get you back on track.
Stage 1: Wernicke Encephalopathy
For example, patients with severe memory impairment or confusion may need to receive care in a long-term residential facility. Wet brain life expectancy is an important consideration when considering its permanency. Alcohol addiction, even if it has not progressed to the point of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, can considerably decrease life expectancy. Research has shown that people who are hospitalized for alcohol misuse die 24 to 28 years sooner compared to people in the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 88,000 people die annually in the United States from issues related to alcohol abuse.
What is considered heavy drinking?
For men, binge drinking is 5 or more drinks consumed on one occasion. Underage drinking: Any alcohol use by those under age 21. Heavy drinking: For women, heavy drinking is 8 drinks or more per week. For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week.
If a person has stopped eating because of their alcohol use disorder, they may have other vitamin deficiencies that need to get treated also. Various medical specialists can help individuals correct other symptoms of wet brain, such as walking difficulties, mood problems, visual troubles, bowel issues, and heart problems. Medical clinicians can only diagnose wet brain in a sober person. That is because the signs and symptoms of acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal can overlap with the signs and symptoms of wet brain. Wernicke encephalopathy typically develops over a few days or weeks.
Our levels of care
For those who have Korsakoff syndrome, 25% can recover from wet brain with supplemental treatment. Half of all Korsakoff syndrome patients will not be able to improve even with treatment. With treatment, a full 25% will experience no relief in symptoms. Those who recover will be able to live a normal life if they abstain from alcohol.
The symptoms will vary on whether a person is in the stages of Wernicke’s encephalopathy or Korsakoff’s psychosis. Thiamine plays a key role in helping brain cells produce energy from sugar. When thiamine levels drop too low, brain cells are unable to generate the energy needed to function properly. People with Korsakoff's psychosis have increased difficulty with coordination and movement. They will also exhibit symptoms of retrograde amnesia and find it challenging to learn and process new information.
How Does Drinking Large Amounts of Alcohol Cause Thiamine Deficiency?
Depending on when the disease was treated, the prognosis differs. In general, if doctors catch the disease early and are able to treat it, the prognosis is quite good. Thiamine supplements will improve most symptoms other than memory loss and cognitive impairment. The mortality rate for Wernicke’s encephalopathy is only at about 10% to 20%. Mortality only happens when the disease has progressed to its severe stages. The second part of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is Korsakoff’s psychosis.
From the older generation to the youth, alcohol is a bonding factor for many. Millions and millions of people have been affected by alcohol addiction. It is impossible not to know at least one alcoholic in your life, which is the extent of alcoholism that has spread around us.
However, alcohol use disorder is the most common culprit when it comes to low thiamine levels. Alcohol use disorder is a serious condition that affects around 6.2% of the U.S. adult population. When left untreated, alcoholism can cause numerous long-term, severe health issues, including cognitive https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-reasons-sobriety-tattoos-are-a-terrible-idea/ deficits and cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment can reverse some of the symptoms of Wernicke's encephalopathy, which is the first stage of the condition. Administering high doses of thiamine is the first course of action when treating wet brain because the brain severely lacks the nutrient.
How long should you take thiamine after stopping drinking?
Thiamine should be continued for as long as malnutrition is present and/or during periods of continued alcohol consumption. Following successful alcohol withdrawal, thiamine should be continued for 6 weeks.
The person is no longer able to form new memories in the later stages of the condition; they lose memories progressively as brain tissue is damaged over the course of the illness. Wet brain can lead to coma and death, with up to 20% of people with wet brain dying from the condition. Up to 80% of those who survive the first stage of wet brain will go on to develop the symptoms of Korsakoff’s psychosis.