Alcoholic Dementia is not a well-recognized and well-understood entity but, lately with abundance and cheaply affordable alcoholic beverages, it has been a silent epidemic in our Korean society. With proofs that the progression of dementia can be stopped by stopping alcoholic intake, we should pay more attention to heavy alcoholic consumption. Korsakoff syndrome is the end stage symptoms that starts so insidiously that people around the patients seldom recognize as being abnormal. These people still keep the old memories well and, therefore, they look perfectly normal in their social behavior. We tend to blame the symptoms as being getting older and laugh about it. But when some drinkers around you have persistent trouble learning something new and essential, I am telling you that it's not just an old-age-thing and not a laughing matter at all.

I actually see a few people around me who are in the early stage of Korsakoff syndrome. The early symptom is inability to learn "new things" such as new computer skill, new songs, or new dance steps. If this progresses to a more advanced stage, they shy away, quit, or refuse to learn new things. He (or she) always blame old age and we tend to agree with him. But, if he is a heavy, frequent drinker, or a Korean macho proudly showing off his ability to drink well, you should know that he's getting into the hell (or glory, depending on how you think) of Korsakoff syndrome.

No laughing, please. If you love to drink, I may be talking about you.
If you still laugh at what I am saying, you probably have become or getting to be an idiot (eventually, without exceptions) due to alcoholic dementia.
To me, nothing is more fun than learning and exploring a lot of new things.
If you can not learn new things, what's life for?

by WM


Korsakoff Syndrome

Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but certain other conditions also can cause the syndrome.

Thiamine (vitamin B-1) helps brain cells produce energy from sugar. When levels fall too low, brain cells cannot generate enough energy to function properly. As a result, Korsakoff syndrome may develop.
 
Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but can also be associated with AIDS, chronic infections, poor nutrition and certain other conditions. See causes and risks below.
 
Korsakoff syndrome is often, but not always, preceded by an episode of Wernicke encephalopathy, which is an acute brain reaction to severe lack of thiamine. Wernicke encephalopathy is a medical emergency that causes life-threatening brain disruption, confusion, staggering and stumbling, lack of coordination, and abnormal involuntary eye movements.
 
Because the chronic memory loss of Korsakoff syndrome often follows an episode of Wernicke encephalopathy, the chronic disorder is sometimes known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. But Korsakoff syndrome can also develop in individuals who have not had a prior episode of Wernicke encephalopathy.
 
Symptoms

Korsakoff syndrome causes problems learning new information, inability to remember recent events and long-term memory gaps. Memory problems may be strikingly severe while other thinking and social skills are relatively unaffected. For example, individuals may seem able to carry on a coherent conversation, but moments later be unable to recall that the conversation took place or to whom they spoke.
 
Those with Korsakoff syndrome may "confabulate," or make up, information they can't remember. They are not "lying" but may actually believe their invented explanations. Scientists don't yet understand why Korsakoff syndrome may cause confabulation.

Diagnosis

Korsakoff syndrome is a clinical diagnosis representing a physician's best judgment about the cause of a person's symptoms. There are no specific lab tests or brain scan procedures to confirm that a person has this disorder. The syndrome may sometimes be hard to identify because it may be masked by symptoms of other conditions common among those who misuse alcohol, including intoxication or withdrawal, infection or head injury.
 
Experts recommend that a medical workup for memory loss or other cognitive changes always include questions about an individual's alcohol use. Anyone admitted to the hospital for an alcohol-related condition should be professionally screened for memory loss and cognitive change.

Causes and risks
 
Scientists don't yet know exactly how Korsakoff syndrome damages the brain. Research has shown that severe thiamine deficiency disrupts several biochemicals that play key roles in carrying signals among brain cells and in storing and retrieving memories. These disruptions destroy brain cells and cause widespread microscopic bleeding and scar tissue.
 
Most cases of Korsakoff syndrome result from alcohol misuse. Scientists don't yet know why heavy drinking causes severe thiamine deficiency in some alcoholics, while others may be affected primarily by alcohol's effects on the liver, stomach, heart, intestines or other body systems.

Researchers have identified several genetic variations that may increase susceptibility to Korsakoff syndrome. Poor nutrition also may raise risk. Sign up for our enews to receive updates about Alzheimer’s and dementia care and research.
 
Korsakoff syndrome also can be caused by anorexia, overly-stringent dieting, fasting, starvation or weight-loss surgery; uncontrolled vomiting; AIDS; kidney dialysis; chronic infection; or cancer that has spread throughout the body.

Treatment and outcomes

Some experts recommend that heavy drinkers and others at risk of thiamine deficiency take oral supplements of thiamine and other vitamins under their doctor's supervision.

Many experts also recommend that anyone with a history of heavy alcohol use who experiences symptoms associated with Wernicke encephalopathy be given injectable thiamine until the clinical picture grows clearer.
 
Once acute symptoms improve, individuals should be carefully evaluated to determine if their medical history, alcohol use and pattern of memory problems may be consistent with Korsakoff syndrome. For those who develop Korsakoff syndrome, extended treatment with oral thiamine, other vitamins and magnesium may increase chances of symptom improvement. Giving up alcohol is also an effective treatment.
 
In those who develop Korsakoff syndrome, with or without a preceding episode of Wernicke encephalopathy, there are few studies on long-term outcomes. Available data suggest that about 25 percent of those who develop Korsakoff syndrome eventually recover, about half improve but don't recover completely, and about 25 percent remain unchanged. Some research suggests that those who recover from an episode may have a normal life expectancy if they abstain from alcohol.

Above article, borrowed from Alzheimer's Association