What is Wet Brain? Stages, Symptoms & Treatment

Around 80 to 90% of people with alcohol use disorder who have Wernicke’s encephalopathy develop Korsakoff’s psychosis. Unfortunately, not every patient who suffers from the alcoholic wet brain will improve. The best way to treat Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is through preventative care and abstinence from excessive alcohol consumption. While thiamine supplements can help some symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and sober house improve muscle coordination and eye movement, any damage to the brain can be permanent. This can lead to significant intellectual impairment and memory loss, and patients who experience these conditions will require extensive medical intervention. Another possible explanation
for the differences among people in their sensitivity to thiamine deficiency
has focused on the assembly of functional transketolase.

Korsakoff’s psychosis happens because of permanent damage to parts of the brain that are responsible for memory recall. Stage one is completely reversible, but only if it is treated immediately with Vitamin B1 injections. However, if it is left untreated, Wet Brain will progress to stage two, which is only partially reversible. Stage two (Korsakoff’s psychosis) can improve over time with Vitamin B1 and cessation of alcohol consumption, but it can never fully be reversed. A lack of thiamine can cause neurological symptoms caused be legions that form due to a lack of thiamine.Wet brain can be reversed if it is caught when the first symptoms of memory problems appear.

Symptoms of wet brain

However, people who struggle with alcohol use disorder may focus on consuming alcohol instead of eating a balanced diet, with whole grains and lean proteins. In other cases, alcohol can upset the stomach and the person may experience loss of appetite, or vomiting, which can reduce sources of thiamine. The liver stores some thiamine, although not very much, and damage to the liver from long-term alcohol abuse can prevent storage and release of this vitamin nutrient into the body. “Wet brain” is a term used to describe the chronic brain disorder, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis. Approximately 6.2% of Americans aged 18 years old and older meet the clinical criteria for alcohol use disorder. When most people think about drinking-related problems, they picture car accidents, fights, and run-ins with the police.

The cells’ utilization
of thiamine can be affected in different ways by chronic alcohol use. As mentioned
earlier, once thiamine is imported into the cells, it is first converted into
ThDP by the addition of two phosphate groups. ThDP then binds to the thiamine–using
enzymes, a reaction that requires the presence of magnesium.

Wet Brain Syndrome: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

The earlier you seek medical attention and are properly diagnosed, the better of a situation you will be in. Those with memory loss could become more fearful and distrustful of others.5 There could be anxiety due to worry about the future. They could develop a sense of loneliness because they might forget that they have had interactions with loved ones. Following alcohol detox, patients at alcohol rehab undergo counselling sessions and group sessions, to get to the bottom of why they were drinking in the first place.