Alcoholic dementia is characterised by a deteriorating ability in planning, decision making and assessment of risk. There tends to be a change in personality, ...SkiptocontentYouarehere:Home/Understandingdementia/TypesandSymptoms/AlcoholrelatedbraindamageAlcoholrelatedbraindamageWhatcausesalcoholrelatedbraindamage?Alcoholrelatedbraindamage(alsoknownasalcoholrelatedbrainimpairment)iscausedbydrinkingalcoholexcessivelyoveraprolongedperiodoftime.ItcanbecausedbyacombinationofreasonsincludingvitaminB1deficiency(thiamine),thetoxiceffectsofalcoholonnervecells,headinjuryandbloodvesseldamage.Therearethreemaintypesofalcoholrelatedbraindamage;Wernicke’sencephalopathy,Korsakoff’ssyndromeandalcoholicdementia.BothWernicke’sandKorsakoff’scanoccursingularlyorincombinationwhenitiscalledWernicke-Korsakoffsyndrome.Wernicke’sencephalopathyoftenhasasuddenonsetandischaracterisedbymovementandbalanceproblems,lossofcoordination,confusion,disorientationandabnormaleyemovements.Korsakoff’ssyndromeoccursmoregraduallyandthesymptomsareusuallyattentionandconcentrationproblems,gapsinmemorywhichareusuallyfilledinaccurately(confabulation)andadifficultylearningnewinformation.Alcoholicdementiaischaracterisedbyadeterioratingabilityinplanning,decisionmakingandassessmentofrisk.Theretendstobeachangeinpersonality,reducedimpulseandemotionalcontrolwhichmayleadtoconflictandsociallyinappropriatebehaviour.Inadditionthereareproblemswithattention,concentrationandmemory.Alcoholrelatedbraindamagetendstobemorecommoninpeopleintheir40sand50sandcomprisesabout10%ofthecasesofyoungonsetdementiadiagnosed.Howcanalcoholrelatedbraindamagebeprevented?stickwithinlowriskdrinkingguidelinesofnomorethan14unitsperweek(equatesto6pintslageror1.5bottlesofwineperweek)spreadalcoholintakeoverthreeormoredayshavealcoholfreedaysincreasephysicalandmentalactivityhaveahealthybalanceddietavoidsmokingmanagestress,depressionandanxietysymptomsbyfindingalternativemethodsofcopingthanalcoholusekeepingweight,cholesterolandbloodpressureincheckmiddleagedwo