How to Diagnose Alcoholic Encephalopathy

Alcoholic encephalopathy is an extremely serious complication of alcoholic liver disease. This condition is typically caused by years of heavy drinking or alcoholism. Women are more susceptible to alcoholic encephalopathy than men and drunkenness is not always necessary to develop the disease.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Understand that alcoholic encephalopathy is a loss of specific brain function caused by damaged brain tissue. Drunkenness is not essential for developing alcoholic encephalopathy.
2. Be alert to an alcoholic who starts to confabulate, which means making up detailed, believable stories to cover up gaps in memory. The person actually believes what he is saying is true. This is one of the first symptoms of alcoholic encephalopathy.
3. Watch out for other symptoms that can help lead to the diagnosis of alcoholic encephalopathy. These can include such conditions as confusion, eye movement abnormalities, loss of muscle coordination, hallucinations, jaundice and abdominal pain and tenderness.
4. Consider the possibility of alcoholic encephalopathy when there is impairment of the memory and other cognitive functions similar to dementia.
5. Treat alcoholic encephalopathy if you suspect this diagnosis by discontinuing the use of alcohol, eating a diet high in calories and high in carbohydrates. Take vitamins, especially vitamin B1 and folic acid and adhere to the other treatment and medications your physician prescribes.
6. Seek rehabilitation if you suspect alcoholic encephalopathy. A rehabilitation program or counseling is necessary to help break the alcohol addiction.
7. Acknowledge that without treatment the condition progresses steadily until death. Even with treatment some symptoms, mainly mental confusion and loss of memory, may be permanent with the diagnosis of alcoholic encephalopathy.

Tips & Warnings

• Malnutrition contributes to liver disease by causing a thiamine deficiency. Alcohol contributes empty calories that reduce the appetite and cause malabsorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract.