Korsakoff’s disease is a memory disorder, which in most cases is caused by the excessive use of alcohol. Dealing with someone who has Korsakov’s disease can be very difficult for those close to them. It therefore requires a separate approach to keep everything as tolerable as possible for both the patient and the family/loved one.
How does Korsakov’s disease develop?
The development of Korsakov’s disease is always preceded by Wernicke’s syndrome. The Wernicke syndrome is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1. A vitamin B1 deficiency is something that often occurs in alcoholics. Vitamin B1 is found in many of our daily diets. This includes vegetables, potatoes, nuts, bread, legumes and pork. Someone with a normal diet will naturally get enough vitamin B1. The problem, however, is that someone who drinks alcohol excessively often has an irregular and poor diet. For this reason, a Vitamin B1 deficiency occurs.
Vitamin B1 deficiency
Wernicke syndrome is a disorder of the central nervous system that can cause severe confusion. Furthermore, someone with Wernicke syndrome can fall into a coma or even die. To prevent death, vitamin B1 should be administered as soon as possible to someone with Wernicke syndrome. Of all patients who survive Wernicke’s syndrome, 60% will subsequently develop Korsakov’s disease.
Other causes
The most common cause of Korsakoff’s disease is excessive alcohol consumption. But Korsakov’s can also develop in people with anorexia, people who are severely malnourished, serious hard drug use and people with AIDS. A vitamin B1 deficiency is also common in the above conditions.
Dementia
Korsakov’s disease is often compared to dementia. This is mainly due to the memory loss that occurs with both conditions. The big difference between the two conditions is that dementia can worsen, while with Korsakov’s memory cannot deteriorate further.
Symptoms
The main symptoms indicative of Korsakoff’s disease are:
- Amnesia
- Overestimating yourself
- Flattening of the feeling
- Confabulations (This means: presenting stories differently than they are)
- Lots of lying
- Not keeping appointments (simply forgetting)
Dealing with someone who has Korsakov
It can be very difficult to live with someone who has Korsakov’s. Patients are often unresponsive and allow their appearance to deteriorate. This then manifests itself in poor personal hygiene and dirty clothing of the Korsakov patient.
Patient awareness
So the most striking thing about Korsakoff’s disease is the patient’s memory loss. The difficult thing about this is that these people do not realize that they suffer from a memory problem. Patients also often do not realize that they are ill, which can make it very difficult for their loved ones. When a Korsakov patient has forgotten part of an event, he will make up that part himself. He can tell this so credibly that it is impossible to distinguish when he is telling the truth or when he is lying.
How do you deal with someone with Korsakov?
Dealing with a Korsakov patient therefore requires extensive instructions for use. It is best to be short and clear with a Korsakov patient. This way it remains clear for him and he knows what awaits him. Korsakov patients benefit from a very structured life. Research has shown that it is best to act according to the model of the four K’s. To know:
- Short
- Concrete (concrete)
- Consekwent (consistent)
- Continuous (continuous)
Nursing home
Many Korsakov patients will eventually end up in a nursing home. In many cases it becomes too difficult for the family to live in the same house with this person any longer. There are several nursing homes in the Netherlands that have a department for Korsakov patients. In addition, there is even a clinic in Venray (Limburg) that is completely focused on Korsakov patients.
Therapy
Once Korsakoff’s disease has been diagnosed, it is not always too late. In the best case, the patient can even fully recover from this disease. In the treatment of Korsakov, the patient is first supported to stop drinking. Healthy food and sufficient vitamin B1 are provided. Furthermore, the patient is helped with psychological problems caused by alcohol use and Korsakov’s disease. Once this is all stable, the patient’s memory problems can be worked on. After a year, the situation is reviewed and it can be seen how much the situation has improved. All improvements will take place within this first year, after this time the situation will not be able to improve further. In some cases the situation improves significantly, or the patient even gets better completely. But in most cases there is at least some improvement in the situation when this approach is used.