Your doctor may recommend nutrition and other medications to treat any specific symptoms. In some severe cases of alcohol-related dementia, rehabilitative care may be necessary. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to managing the symptoms of alcohol-related dementia. Alcohol-related dementia occurs due to vitamin B1 deficiency resulting from prolonged alcohol misuse.

• Additionally, you may be given injections of salts, thiamine, and fluids.
• After the first part of treatment, a person with alcohol-related ‘dementia’ will need support from different kinds of services.
• Alcohol consumption above recommended limits (of 14 units per week) over a long period of time may shrink the parts of the brain involved in memory.
• If you’re seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way.
• This cognitive impairment results from cerebral cortex injury due to synaptic failure, inflammation and changes in the brain metabolism.

How is Alcohol-Related Dementia Diagnosed?

Medical treatment and getting treated for alcohol addiction may help prevent the condition from getting worse. Many early signs of alcoholic dementia overlap with symptoms of other types of dementia. Alcohol-related dementia ultimately describes any dementia-type illness that is caused by alcohol use. Alcohol can have a toxic effect on the brain, affecting normal function. Thiamine is essential for brain health and a thiamine deficiency can lead to permanent brain damage.

What is alcohol-related dementia?

The amount of alcohol needed to cause alcohol-related dementia can vary. Some sources say drinking 35 alcoholic beverages a week for 5 years for men, and 28 alcoholic beverages a week for 5 years for women, presents a sufficient risk for developing alcohol-related dementia. The process typically includes evaluating the senior’s medical history, alcohol consumption patterns, and cognitive functioning, and ruling out other potential causes of dementia. If you have concerns about your loved one exhibiting symptoms of dementia, encourage them to seek the guidance of a healthcare professional.

What causes alcoholic dementia?

• Alcohol damages brain cells impairs cognitive function, and can lead to long-term memory issues.
• Three primary symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy are irregular eye movements (ophthalmoplegia), unsteady walking (ataxia), and confusion.
• People with alcohol-related ‘dementia’ tend to be younger and physically more active than most people who have other types of dementia.
• Drinking alcohol in moderation has not been conclusively linked to an increased risk of dementia.
• The person is often required to stay in the hospital for a period of time to detox from the alcohol and get through the withdrawal.

Heavy alcohol users can developalcohol-related dementia, a condition where alcohol use causes dementia. Dementia is a progressive memory loss that can range from mild, with minor effects on your ability to recall memory, to severe, affecting your ability to perform tasks like eating and dressing yourself. The damage to the brain then leads to symptoms that can include issues with a person’s gait, memory loss, hallucinations, and other issues. Dementia is an umbrella term for a variety of conditions that affect a person’s processing skills and memory. There are a variety of different types, including Alzheimer’s as well as dementia related to alcohol use. Prevention is the key to reducing the risk of any major health problems can alcohol cause dementia and psychosocial consequences of heavy drinking.

Your addiction does not have to define who you are.

All condition, treatment and wellness content is medically reviewed by at least one medical professional ensuring the most accurate information possible. People with alcohol-related dementia may experience painless vision loss, gait abnormalities, or mental status changes such as apathy and a lack of speech. Some people with advanced cases of the condition may experience hallucinations and irreversible and severe memory impairments. A doctor may use injectable thiamine for people whose condition has advanced and who have developed psychiatric signs and symptoms. Severe cases may require several weeks of oral thiamine supplement intake. The causes of young-onset dementia, also known as early-onset dementia, are different from those in older people.

Results of the Reviewed Studies

However, a hopeful assessment points out abstinence may improve motor abilities and cognition, reversing white matter shrinkage. But, if the drinking is resumed, the brain again becomes vulnerable to disruption and subsequent health risks. Regularly drinking too much alcohol damages blood vessels in a person’s brain and can lead to high blood pressure. Both increase their risk of having a stroke (when the brain does not get enough oxygen and is damaged).

What is alcoholic dementia?

They should also take an account from someone who knows the person well, as this can help if the person has gaps in their memory. The doctor may also ask about problems with mood, such as anxiety or depression. Alcohol-related ‘dementia’ can also cause problems with a person’s mood, such as apathy, depression or irritability.

Alcohol-related dementia symptoms

• These can make it even harder for the person to stop drinking – and make it difficult for people close to them to help.
• Before COVID, my visits routinely consisted of seeing my mother 3 x times a day, 7 days a week.
• By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.

If the person is still addicted to alcohol, treatment for the addiction is the first step, and many forms of help are available. At Healthgrades, our Editorial Team works hard to develop complete, objective and meaningful health information to help people choose the right doctor, right hospital and right care. Our writers include physicians, pharmacists, and registered nurses with firsthand clinical experience.

Effects of alcoholic dementia

During the middle stages of alcohol-related dementia, symptoms become more severe.People in this stagehave more severe memory loss and find daily tasks to be more difficult. People may start to forget family members and close friends, and may find it harder to communicate. They may also start to hear, see or believe things that are not true.

Diagnosing Alcohol-Related Dementia

The two main types of ARBD that can cause symptoms of dementia are alcohol-related ‘dementia’ and Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome. Neither of these are actual types of dementia, because you cannot get better from dementia, and there is some chance of recovery in both of these conditions. ARBD doesn’t always get worse over time, unlike common causes of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. If a person with ARBD stops drinking alcohol and receives good support, they may be able to make a partial or even full recovery.