They may also need to be given other types of nutrition and hydration to get their body working properly. Because a person with Wernicke’s encephalopathy is in a very serious condition, diagnosis is often carried out in a hospital. The doctor will look for symptoms of the condition and may also carry out a brain scan to confirm their diagnosis.
Alcohol and the risk of dementia
The first part of treatment for alcohol-related dementia aims to help you stop drinking alcohol. This can take several weeks, and you may need to do this under medical supervision. All of the information gathered during the diagnostic process will also help them rule out other types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia. As with Wernicke’s encephalopathy, the main treatment for Korsakoff’s syndrome is to give the person high doses of thiamine immediately.
What to know about alcoholic dementia
- Many people with alcohol-related ‘dementia’ have to wait in hospital for a long time before they can get specialist care.
- Informally, some people also call this condition “wet brain” syndrome.
- Systematic reviews on the association between alcohol use and brain structures were also included.
- The age of onset of alcohol-related dementia varies, but it’s often seen in middle-aged adults around 40 to 50 years old.
- This means it’s challenging to learn new information and remember things already learned.
With the right treatment and support, there is often a good chance that it will stop getting worse or improve. It can be difficult to get an assessment, as some GPs will insist that the person has stopped drinking for several weeks before they can assess the person’s memory. Some experts can alcohol cause dementia think that a person can be assessed for alcohol-related ‘dementia’ while they are still drinking too much, as long as they aren’t intoxicated at the time of the assessment. If a doctor is unaware of the person drinking too much alcohol over many years, they may not consider alcohol-related ‘dementia’ as a possible diagnosis. The person may not get the right treatment and support, which is why it is important to tell doctors about drinking too much alcohol.
- With appropriate treatment, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that approximately 25% of people will recover completely, about half will improve but not regain full functioning, and about 25% will remain about the same.
- In people with young-onset dementia (who are younger than 65 years old) ARBD affects about one in eight people.
- Overall, the level of evidence and the methodological quality of the reviews were judged to be only moderate (for a systematic evaluation of the reviews, see 23, 28).
- If you think you may be experiencing alcohol-related dementia, talk with a healthcare professional.
- While forgetfulness and short-term memory might be the first signs, a person may go on to experience difficulties with executive functioning (like organizing and planning) and, in a later stage, problems with motor abilities.
- NICE Guidelines recommend that alcohol consumption be reduced as much as possible, particularly in mid-life, to minimize the risk of developing age-related conditions such as frailty and dementia.
Causes of alcohol-related brain injury
This is because alcohol damages the part of the brain that controls balance, co-ordination and posture. The symptoms of alcohol-related ‘dementia’ can change a lot from person to person. If a person with the condition has a brain scan, it will often show that some areas of the brain have shrunk much more than others. If a person has alcohol-related ‘dementia’ they will struggle with day-to-day tasks.
Phone, Video, or Live-Chat Support
Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome is a condition that is similar to dementia and is caused by drinking too much alcohol. We remain committed to working alongside the government, including the newly appointed National Clinical Director for Dementia, to improve health outcomes for families with dementia. Our manifesto calls on the new government to ‘put dementia on the agenda’ in order to transform dementia care and ensure everyone gets the specialist support they need when they need it. There is good support and treatment for alcohol addiction and alcohol-related brain injury.
- Testing for thiamine disorders when acute confusion and disorientation is present is critical to identification and appropriate treatment.
- A small number of studies seem to suggest that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol reduces dementia risk compared to not drinking at all.
- For people with advanced alcohol-related dementia, treatment may not reverse symptoms.
- Drinking alcohol is linked to reduced volume of the brain’s white matter, which helps to transmit signals between different brain regions.
- Finally, these socially isolated patients are often hospitalized for another health condition and this presents an ideal opportunity for screening, identification, and intervention.
Dementia Australia does not accept liability for any injury, loss or damage caused by use of the information on this website. But it is possible to slow or stop the progress of alcohol-related brain injury. Wernicke’s encephalopathy is an intense swelling of your brain caused by a severe lack of thiamine. Thiamine helps turn the food you eat into energy, so it’s very important for your brain health.
