Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome Research Paper

762 Words4 Pages

Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome You never think it 's going to happen to you. Nowadays, people don 't even consider what could potentially happen to them during or after the consumption of alcohol. Having the privilege of drinking alcohol is not to be taken advantage of. Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome is just one of the many diseases that can result from carefree consumption of alcohol. It could easily happen to anybody. Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome goes by the names of Wet Brain, Korsakoff 's Phychosis, and Alcoholic Encephalopathy. This disease is a result of a Vitamin B deficiency, which causes brain damage, and is fairly common in people who have an alcohol addiction, and are between the ages of 40-80. WKS is a carrier of plenty of side …show more content…

Treating WKS is not a simple task. It is estimated that, if not caught early on, the death rate of those diagnosed with WKS is about 10-20%, but you must also keep in mind that most people with the disease are of old age. However, those other 80-90%, can be treated. First of all, WKS can only be treated in a hospital setting. You can not cure it by yourself. During this treatment period, abstinence from alcohol is a MUST. No if 's, and 's, or but 's about it. Doctors also recommend eating a healthy, well balanced diet during the treatment period. Thiamine (Vitamin B) can be administered into the body to improve certain side effects such as difficulties associated within the eye as well as muscle incoordination. If the consumption of alcohol completely comes to a stop and WKS is detected early enough, the patient may be able to recover well and may be able to even learn simple tasks that they may have lost control of because of WKS. However, if the patient has already become victim to amnesia or any other memory disorder, it may take up to a year to recover. If the patient is discovered to have WKS in a much later stage instead of early on, usually brain damage is untreatable and they will have problems lasting the rest of their days. To say the least, Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome is a horrible disease but it can easily be prevented. As I mentioned in the heading, having the privilege of drinking alcohol should not be taken advantage of, because it can lead to diseases such as WKS. Life is too short to spend it in a hospital room or trapped in a house because you made a bad choice. Please drink