Alcolholism. I need an answer.?


Question:
My husband is an alcolholic. He is now suffering date memory loss. I realise this is a symtom of his gradual mental decline due to his intake of excessive alcolhol. Does this have a name?

Answers:
I have heard of a memory condition alcohol related called korsikoff, not sure if its the same thing, but may just be a lead for you.What causes Korsakoff's syndrome?
Korsakoff's syndrome is caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1), which affects the brain and nervous system. Excessive use of alcohol is often the cause of thiamine deficiency. This is because:

Many heavy drinkers have poor eating habits. Their nutrition is inadequate and will not contain essential vitamins.
Alcohol can inflame the stomach lining and impede the body's ability to absorb the key vitamins it receives.
Korsakoff's syndrome may also occur in other conditions where there is severe malnutrition, but this is extremely rare.

Korsakoff's is part of the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which consists of two separate but related stages: Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis. However, not all cases of Korsakoff's are preceded by an episode of Wernicke's. Another term for Korsakoff's is 'alcohol amnestic syndrome', amnestic meaning loss of memory.

What is Wernicke's encephalopathy?
An encephalopathy is a disorder affecting the brain. Wernicke's encephalopathy usually develops suddenly. There are three main symptoms, though these are not always present, so diagnosis may be difficult. They are:
Yep hes an ALCOHOLIC


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