alheimers or alcoholism?

[mimi749]

My mom is 69 and has been a heavy drinker all of her adult life. She has now begun to forget things and lose things frequently. My father is worried that it may be alzheimers because this happens in the daytime when she hasn't had a drink yet. Alcoholism runs in her family. How can we determine if she's suffering from prolonged alcohol use or if she has alzheimers?

[momtofourboys]

Diagnosis

WKS is often missed as a diagnosis. In the acute phase, a physical examination may reveal skin changes and a red "beefy" tongue. In addition, blood count, electrolytes and liver function tests should be conducted. Even in the chronic phase, an MRI may show shrunken mammillary bodies and other changes in the brain. CT scans have showed enlarged ventricles and diencephalic lesions.

It is important that a full medical history include information about the person's daily drinking habits, both present and past. Family, friends and past medical records should be consulted to obtain the most complete information possible on the person's history with alcohol. Proposed criteria for diagnosing alcohol-related dementia (not strictly WKS) suggest that the diagnosis be made at least 60 days after the last exposure to alcohol and that a "significant" alcohol history would include an average of 35 drinks per week for men (28 for women) for at least five years. Typically, the period of significant drinking must be within three years of the onset of dementia.

Recent medical research also suggests that the genetic marker APOE4 is a significant predictor of global intellectual deficits in people with WKS. Individuals with the ApoE genotype may experience a certain interaction with heavy alcohol use which could predispose them to WKS. Concerns about an inherited susceptibility to WKS should be discussed with a genetic counselor.

In cases of suspected non-alcohol related WKS, the physician may investigate anorexia nervosa, hypermesis gravidarum, severe malnutrition and other disorders or surgical procedures which impair intestinal absorption of thiamine.

Treatment

If caught early enough, WKS is a preventable, treatable disease. Treatment consists of thiamine replacement therapy, sometimes along with other vitamins. Dosages may vary and should be monitored closely by a physician. If alcoholic consumption stops and treatment is properly administered, individuals with early-stage WKS can expect a marked recovery and may be capable of learning simple, repetitive tasks.

However, the person's confusion may take some time to subside and even incomplete recovery of memory can take up to a year. In the later stages, if damage to the brain is irreversible, individuals are likely to have lasting problems with memory and gait (for example, lack of muscle coordination and numbness or weakness in limbs).
again good luck and I hope this helps some
michelle

[momtofourboys]

The Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
(Alcohol-Related Dementia)




Definition

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS) is a neurological disorder. Wernicke's Encephalopathy and Korsakoff's Psychosis are the acute and chronic phases, respectively, of the same disease.

WKS is caused by a deficiency in the B vitamin thiamine. Thiamine plays a role in metabolizing glucose to produce energy for the brain. An absence of thiamine therefore results in an inadequate supply of energy to the brain, particularly the hypothalmus (which regulates body temperature, growth and appetite and has a role in emotional response. It also controls pituitary functions including metabolism and hormones) and mammillary bodies (where neural pathways connect various parts of the brain involved in memory functions). The disease is typically associated with chronic alcoholism, but may be associated with malnutrition or other conditions which cause nutritional deficiencies.

Facts

WKS has a relatively low prevalence (0.4% to 2.8% of reported autopsies). However, it is likely that the disease is under-reported and under-diagnosed. An estimated 25% of WKS cases were missed where the brains were not examined microscopically. Another study found that only 20% of clinical WKS diagnoses were made correctly in life when compared to autopsy results. Moreover, WKS appears to be only one distinct disease that causes alcohol-related dementia. Based on clinical research studies, between 22% to 29% of individuals with dementia were found to be heavy drinkers or alcoholics and 9% to 23% of elderly alcoholics in alcoholism treatment were found to also have dementia. An estimated 1.1 to 2.3 million older Americans have problems with alcohol. Medical researchers are still grappling with how to more fully define the association between heavy alcohol use and symptoms of dementia.

Symptoms

WKS symptoms may be long-lasting or permanent and should be distinguished from the acute affects of alcohol consumption or from a period of alcohol "withdrawal." The disease is characterized by mental confusion, amnesia (a permanent gap in memory) and impaired short-term memory. An estimated 80% of persons with WKS continue to have a chronic memory disorder. Individuals often appear apathetic and inattentive and some may experience agitation. In addition, WKS tends to impair the person's ability to learn new information or tasks. Individuals with WKS are known to "confabulate" (make up or invent information to compensate for poor memory). Other symptoms include ataxia (weakness in limbs or lack of muscle coordination, unsteady gait), slow walking, rapid, tremor-like eye movements or paralysis of eye muscles Fine motor function (e.g., hand or finger movements) may be diminished and sense of smell also may be affected. In the advanced stages, coma can occur. Although treatable if caught early enough, the death rate from WKS is relatively high, about 10% to 20%.

[momtofourboys]

I took care of a female who had these same things she had what was called ALCOHOL INDUCED DEMENTIA. she would forget to eat, bath and where she was. she caught her kitchen on fire(lived in an apartment complex) and didn't even realize what she had done.
Psychologist told us she had this A.I.D
I googled some information on it I will post in a bit. it might be in two different post
good lucl
michelle

[worried_daughter_08]

Hey.

Sorry to hear about your mom.
I'm not a professional, but I'm in a similar position, so here's my token:

Can you be more specific? Your mom forgets and loses things. Like what? Are you talking stuff like "where did I put my keys" or something more serious?

I'm sure you know chronic alcoholism irrevocably damages brain, so, after 50 years of consumption, one's functioning is, naturally, impaired even during sober times. The question is where to draw the line.

If your mom forgets where things are, or small unimportant details, or isn't as fast as before at learning new tasks - I would still get her evaluated, if possible, just to be sure.

But if your mom forgets how to do things she knew how to do, or if she forgets things that everybody knows, if her functioning becomes impaired - something is surely wrong and you need to get her evaluated, whether it's Alzheimer's or not.

Here are some random examples to consider, just to see if this feels like her domain:

- Can she read? Does she forget names of familiar objects? Like, a table, a chair, a cup of coffee?
- Can she write, dial phone numbers, get dressed and undressed, cook, etc?
- Does she get super angry and frustrated about her forgetfulness? I know alcoholics aren't the sweetest people, but is she recently angrier than usual?

My father is also an alcoholic, and I also suspect Alzheimer's. He's forgetting things like how to take his shirt off, or what are days of the week. I'm not saying if your mom is better, she's fine. Very well could be not. But if she's like my father, she surely has something aside from alcoholism going on. The only reason I haven't done anything with my own father yet is because he's having psychiatric illnesses on top of alcoholism, and his psychiatrist believes this could explain the issues (father has NPD, and rationalizes every one of his actions; naturally, these rationalizations are bizzare enough to wonder).

Anyway, sorry for the long post. My best input is: listen to your gut feelings, and get her evaluated if you start suspecting more than alcoholism. The main issue is whether she needs help. Alzheimer's or not - up to professionals to determine.

Hope this helps.
Best of luck with your mom and dad.