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What Is Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome – Wet Brain?

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Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome is a brain disorder caused by a chronic insufficiency of Vitamin B1; it is also known colloquially as wet brain.

The symptoms of "Wet Brain" include:

  • Confusion
  • An inability to form new memories or retrieve past memories
  • Vision problems
  • Ataxia (a short stepped but wide stance walk)
  • others

Chronic heavy drinkers are at risk of wet brain because:

  • They do not get adequate nutrition (they consume most of their energy as alcohol calories, which provides no vitamins
  • They suffer gastro-intestinal inefficiencies, leaving them lass able to process vitamins
  • They suffer liver damage (B1 is processed in the liver)

Wet brain is treatable with high doses of vitamins in the early stages of the disease. Later stages are incurable.

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Page last updated Aug 05, 2010

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