In addition, health, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity are all potentially linked and may all moderate the effects of alcohol, so careful consideration will be required to disentangle the effects of each. We acknowledge that it is possible that changes in brain structure among adults with AUD may be related to the potential confounding factors listed above, not simply to greater consumption of alcohol or duration of drinking. Relatedly, when relating volume effects to age, most studies do not correct for duration of drinking. Notably, the UK Biobank included only people with British ancestry, so addressing some of these questions may require new data collection.
Treatment for WKS
Wernicke’s encephalopathy affects the individual’s nervous system. A combination of Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome is diagnosed in alcoholics suffering a long-term, vitamin B deficiency and alcohol-induced damage to their brain. Some cases of non-alcoholic Wernicke encephalopathy have been missed because other medical conditions are present, such as severe bipolar disorder or schizophrenia that caused eating disorders. Testing for thiamine disorders when acute confusion and disorientation is present is critical to identification and appropriate treatment. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome may also be referred to as Korsakoff psychosis, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, alcoholic encephalopathy, encephalopathy-alcoholic, alcohol dementia, Wernicke’s dementia, and Wernicke’s disease. Informally, some people also call this condition “wet brain” syndrome.
Alcohol and brain structure across the lifespan: A systematic review of large‐scale neuroimaging studies
Finally, chronic drinking causes an increased need for thiamine due to alcohol-related neuropathy (nerve damage). Although Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome has a low prevalence of between 0.4 percent and nearly 3 percent, doctors believe this disease is frequently misdiagnosed or underreported. Studies have found that about four out of every 100 cases of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome were missed because the brain was not microscopically examined during an autopsy. Other studies discovered that between 22 percent and 29 percent of people diagnosed with general dementia were alcoholics. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome requires immediate treatment with high doses of thiamine.
More on Brain & Nervous System Disorders
The first, Wernicke encephalopathy, causes damage to the lower part of the brain. The two occur in conjunction with one another most commonly in long-term alcohol users. The sooner you can recognize symptoms and receive appropriate treatment, the sooner you can stop the progression of the syndrome and greatly lower your chances of experiencing irreversible side effects. The key to treating wet brain is to receive treatment as soon as possible. Our treatment programs provide comprehensive care starting with medical detox through treatment, with qualified staff available to assist you.
However, once the syndrome has progressed to the point of no return—no new memories or experiences, no reversing the symptoms—the disease is generally fatal. The grim reality of chronic alcohol abuse is that the body can only handle so much; and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a tragic, heartbreaking consequence of the abusive nature of alcoholism. A failure to diagnose this syndrome leads to mush brain death in 20 percent of cases, and long-term brain damage in 75 percent. Wet brain, formally known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, is a type of brain damage that can occur after extended and repeated exposure to heavy drinking. The excessive consumption of alcohol can cause a deficiency of thiamine, or vitamin B1, which is an essential vitamin for the proper functioning of the brain and body.
Preventing Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, commonly known as ‘wet brain,’ requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on alcohol moderation, proper nutrition, and early detection of thiamine deficiency. Given the strong link between excessive alcohol consumption and this severe neurological condition, implementing preventive strategies is crucial. The level of brain damage that occurs with wet brain is directly correlated to how much and how often someone drinks. People who start problem drinking at young ages, and drink heavily will be at higher risk of developing wet brain than those who drink moderately or don’t develop alcoholism until they are older. The treatment goal for Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is to improve symptoms and delay the disease progression. Following medical detoxification and complete physical and mental evaluation, people with wet brain disease receive intravenous administration of thiamine, magnesium, or both.
- Wet brain is a severe disorder that needs early diagnosis and adequate treatment.
- Your recovery will depend mostly on how early you started treatment.
- If possible, a treatment provider familiar with severe AUD and WKS should be involved in communicating with the patient and their loved ones.
- Many people see significant improvement in their symptoms if they take the appropriate measures recommended by doctors and abstain from alcohol.
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a condition that often goes unnoticed until the damage is irreversible
Results of the search procedure described above were uploaded into Covidence, which automatically removed duplicates and generated 404 distinct articles to screen. Covidence was used for management of all steps of the review/screening and data extraction process. First, title and abstract screening was conducted for the 404 articles.
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Alcohol is a neurotoxin that shrinks the brain (a phenomenon known as “cerebral atrophy”) and slowly destroys the frontal lobe, cerebellum and limbic system. In many ways, end-stage alcohol dementia resembles end-stage Alzheimer’s disease and requires the same level of intensive medical support. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (wet brain syndrome) is a neurological condition that consists of two different syndromes.