What is the Life Expectancy of Someone with Wet Brain?

However, it will not improve symptoms related to memory loss or cognitive impairment. Wet brain syndrome is determined by several factors, including how long a person has been drinking and how often they do it. But early detection can slow the progression of the disease and alleviate many symptoms. Treatment for Wernicke’s encephalopathy is only effective if a person stops drinking. However, doctors may suspect thiamine deficiency or malnutrition based on physical appearance. Regardless of what term is used, wet brain, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, or alcohol dementia, it all describes the same medical condition.

• If you recognize any of those early symptoms in a loved one who struggles with alcohol addiction, help them seek immediate treatment.
• Permanent damages lead to the development of wet brain, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.
• Still, only about 10 per cent of patients are afflicted with these symptoms, making the diagnosis extremely challenging.
• I don’t know about you but many people around me are really struggling with their memory, word recall and concentration; and this has been more pronounced over the last couple of years.
• Wernicke encephalopathy is specifically caused by a thiamine deficiency.

The disease arises mostly in alcoholics who have been drinking excessively for a prolonged period of time. Wet brain is not always easy to diagnose, particularly if the patient is confused or unable to share accurate medical history. If someone has a history of alcohol misuse, physicians may look for https://ecosoberhouse.com/success-story/ signs of damage to the liver and conduct tests to determine the levels of vitamin B1 in the body. In addition to conducting a physical examination, doctors may also order imaging tests to look for damage to the brain. The patient must be sober to be diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, though.

What is Wet Brain? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

However, it’s caused more by their poor diets than their alcoholic consumption. Therefore, people with other medical conditions can develop Korsakoff psychosis if they have an insufficient intake of thiamine. This brain disorder suddenly comes on and is often referred to as “alcohol-related dementia,” as brain damage can result in challenges with cognition and memory functions. Oxford University Press reckoned that between 10 to 24 per cent of brain damage and dementia occurrences might be related to alcoholism. The Alzheimer’s Society states that “wet brain” may afflict about two per cent of the general population.

According to a 2021 study in Scientific Reports, heavy drinking could lead to loss of brain volume. The researchers found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) had less brain matter than people without AUD. The affected brain regions controlled skills like attention, language, memory, and reasoning.

Alcoholism Warning Signs

A more useful antidote to brain mush starts from the neuroscientific insight that, to simplify a little, you only can ever focus on one thing at a time. Feelings of mush or distraction are often the result of flitting rapidly between multiple objects of focus without being aware of it. You can train yourself to do less of this flitting, for example with meditation (provided you can bring yourself to focus on that). For people who do decide to stop drinking, Pagano says there are many reasons to be optimistic.

In 2015 alone, 15.1 million adults struggled with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). There are two reasons why thiamine deficiency happens when you drink large amounts of alcohol. The only way to get proper amounts of thiamine is by eating a proper diet. Unfortunately, many individuals who suffer from alcohol abuse and alcoholism don’t consume a well-balanced diet that contains enough thiamine. Wet brain is a serious brain disorder caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

Korsakoff’s Psychosis

The best process for most people is to get professional help to safely detox from alcohol and then progress into a complete rehabilitation program. Following an experience with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, it is possible someone could still have a normal life expectancy. To achieve that, they’d need to make lifestyle changes and stop drinking alcohol.

• Preventing alcohol abuse and malnutrition by eating healthy foods and drinking responsibly is the most effective way to manage a wet brain.
• By the time that patients have developed Korsakoff’s psychosis, they are often forgetful.
• At Westwind Recovery®, we offer alcohol addiction treatment programs in our Los Angeles recovery center.
• The level of brain damage that occurs with wet brain is directly correlated to how much and how often someone drinks.

Heavy drinking also may speed up memory loss in early old age, at least in men, according to a 2014 study in the journal Neurology. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are different conditions that often occur together. Unfortunately, this is an unlikely scenario for people who reach this stage of alcoholism. The best way to avoid wet brain syndrome is to prevent it altogether by treating alcoholism before it reaches this point.

Strategies for when your mind has gone to mush

It is extremely important that if you suspect you or someone you love suffers from wet brain syndrome, you get them the help they need. Nine out of 10 alcoholics (mostly men between 45 and 65 years of age) will eventually develop Korsakoff syndrome, also called Korsakoff psychosis. This is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by amnesia and behavioral abnormalities. Contact Nova Recovery Center today for more information on our individualized drug and alcohol addiction recovery program.

Not drinking alcohol or drinking in moderation and getting enough nutrition reduce the risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. If a heavy drinker will not quit, thiamine supplements and a good diet may reduce the chance of getting this condition, but the risk is not eliminated. For heavy drinkers, these seemingly innocent memory lapses can evolve to slurred speech, an unsteady walk, violent muscle twitches or hallucinations, signaling alcohol-induced brain damage. If left untreated, the damage can progress to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition. The answer to this question depends on how far the condition has progressed.

Understanding Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (wet brain syndrome) is a neurological condition that consists of two different syndromes. 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. Lack of vitamin B1 is common in people who have alcohol use disorder. It is also common in people whose bodies do not absorb food properly (malabsorption). This can sometimes occur with a chronic illness or after weight-loss (bariatric) surgery.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines heavy drinking for women as consuming eight or more drinks per week and for men as consuming 15 or more drinks per week. Summon Nature’s superpowers with our Brain Boost coffee enhanced with Lion’s Mane extract. This amazing functional mushroom is famous for its nootropic properties as it may improve focus and memory. Liver enzymes may be high in people with a history of long-term alcohol abuse. Every cell in the body needs vitamin B1 (thiamine) in order to function. This workhorse vitamin converts food into energy in the brain, nerves and heart.

Addiction and Mental Health Resources

You won’t notice an improvement in your symptoms, but you won’t notice a worsening of your symptoms. If you get proper medical care when you are in the early stages of wet brain syndrome, the symptoms can be reversed. However, if the disease is left to progress, the symptoms cannot be reversed. Symptoms of the second stage of wet brain syndrome, known as Korsakoff psychosis, often do not develop until long after the symptoms of the first stage have developed.

This therapy helps identify the underlying emotional causes behind a drinking problem, thus equipping alcoholics with better coping mechanisms. It’s important to note that thiamine will not improve intellect or memory in wet brain patients. As we mentioned, 80-90% of patients who do not seek treatment for these symptoms end up developing Karsakoff’s psychosis.

Wet brain in aslcoholics is less common than some of the other side effects of alcohol abuse, but it can still occur. 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.

• Therefore, it must be ingested through various sources, like through meat, whole grain cereals and nuts.
• If it is not treated or managed, this part of the condition could even become life threatening.
• They may also notice problems in their central nervous system and extremities, like hands and feet.

Mission Harbor is dedicated to treating Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County with specialized mental and behavioral health programs in a convenient outpatient environment. Our treatment facility is accredited by the Joint Commission and LegitScript Certified. Ben Lesser is one of the most sought-after what is mush brain experts in health, fitness and medicine. His articles impress with unique research work as well as field-tested skills. He is a freelance medical writer specializing in creating content to improve public awareness of health topics. We are honored to have Ben writing exclusively for Dualdiagnosis.org.