Wet Brain, Also Known as Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome, Can Affect Anyone with an Eating Disorder

Wet Brain, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, has long been recognized as a result of a lifetime of alcohol abuse. It is a result of alcohol interfering in the absorption of Thiamine, Vitamin B1, leading to a severe deficiency of this vitamin. As a result a person can experience very severe and irreversible symptoms. According to Medline Plus, the online medical encyclopedia, they are are-

• Inability to form new memories

• Severe loss of memory

• Unsteady, uncoordinated gait, loss of muscle coordination

• Making up of stories

• Seeing or hearing things that aren't there

• Vision changes

• Decreased or abnormal reflexes

• Low blood pressure

• Low body temperature

• Fast pulse

When I was running substance abuse groups I occasionally saw this and had to turn the patient away because there was no way they could participate in a group setting. Both times the client was in a wheel chair, unable to speak or hold their head up, they were completely incontinent and unable to care for themselves at all. Wet Brain is a very serious condition.

But Wet Brain can affect anyone who has an eating disorder or altered intestinal absorption. This would include those with Anorexia, Bulimia, Gastric By-Pass or any other illness which affects the absorption of vitamins and minerals. And, unlike the belief that this is an illness that appears gradually, according to the Harm Reduction Network for Alcohol, www.hamsnetwrok.org, wet brain has a sudden onset brought on by a large dose of glucose in an individual suffering from a Thiamine deficiency.

Dumping Syndrome is often a side effect of a Gastric By-Pass. While the symptoms of Dumping Syndrome are not as serious a Wet Brain, they are also caused by a problem with glucose metabolism.In an article called Wernicke-Korsakoff Encephalopathy After Gastic Plication published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Vol.247 No.18, May 1982 this possible complication from Gastric By-Pass surgery is identified. If you have an eating disorder which involves problems with absorption it is possible that the symptoms and discomfort you are experiencing is the result of a Thiamine deficiency. Speak to you doctor if you have had a Gastric By-Pass or have any other eating disorder to see if you need to be taking a Thiamine supplement. A trial on Thiamine might alleviate some of the symptoms of dumping syndrome.