People with this stage exhibit pronounced mental confusion, have low blood pressure, vision problems and a lack of muscle coordination. Unless they get help, most people with Wernicke’s will develop Korsakoff syndrome. Be aware that you can also develop Korsakoff syndrome without experiencing Wernicke’s. If you have finally decided that you need an intervention for alcohol abuse, the best way to move forward is by seeking help from a drug rehab center. Depending on a patient’s prognosis, care may need to be supportive and focused on managing symptoms.

While thiamine deficiency can happen to people with poor diets, it is more common in those who drink heavily over the course of many years. Alcohol not only prevents the body from getting enough thiamine from a person’s diet, but alcohol sober house use also depletes the body’s thiamine stores, which are held in the liver. The enzymes that turn thiamine into an active compound the body can use are preventing from working when someone consumes large amounts of alcohol.

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Unfortunately, this means that many Americans are susceptible to wet brain. In 2015 alone, 15.1 million adults struggled with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Thiamine deficiency, which
is found in a large number of alcoholics, is an important contributor to alcohol–related
brain damage of all kinds, not only WKS, as was commonly thought in the past. Thiamine deficiency leads to significant reductions in the activities
of these enzymes, and to deleterious effects on the viability of brain cells. Wet brain is damage that happens to the brain due to excessive use of alcohol.

• Taurine is most likely to be given to patients who also struggle with cardiocirculatory impairment.
• As we mentioned, 80-90% of patients who do not seek treatment for these symptoms end up developing Karsakoff’s psychosis.
• Cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and cardiovascular disease are some of the more common damaging effects of chronic alcohol abuse, but wet brain is also one of the lesser-known effects of alcohol addiction.
• People who drink heavily also often have poor nutrition and don’t ingest enough thiamine.

Though the condition is most likely to affect males over the age of 45 who are heavy drinkers, women and younger age groups can also develop wet brain. There are several reasons why people who suffer from alcohol use disorders are more likely to develop wet brain syndrome. The official numbers we see are of those who have sought medical help from medical facilities and drug rehab centers. The actual number of people affected by this condition may be even higher. So many people out there do not recognize that they are suffering from a medical condition and hence do not seek treatment for it. About 80% of people with alcohol use disorder have a thiamine deficiency, and up to 2% of the total U.S. adult population has Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

What Are the Early Symptoms of Wet Brain?

In addition, NADPH plays an important role in the synthesis of glutathione,
a compound that is essential in the body’s defense against oxidative stress. To function properly, all cells require certain levels of NADPH and ribose–5–phosphate,
and the biochemical reaction mediated by transketolase is crucial for maintaining
the appropriate levels of both molecules. If a person does not seek treatment, they could put themselves in harm’s way. For example, they could start cooking something and forget about it, leading to a fire. Those who struggle with memory loss are also more at-risk to develop loneliness, depression, and anxiety. There are treatment options available that can reverse some of the symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.