By Russ Colchamiro, Medical Tribune News Service
A deficiency of thiamin (vitamin B) can lead to loss of
cognition, memory decrease and potential brain damage, according to
two new studies. Alcoholics, anorexics and senior citizens appear
to be at a particularly high risk of suffering from thiamin
deficiency-related side effects.
The new studies -- which examined the neurological disorders
Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) and Korsakoff's Syndrome (KS) --
jointly showed that mammillary (nipple-shaped) bodies in the brain
may shrink as cognition and memory decrease. In fact, abnormal
mammillary bodies were detected in at least ``99 percent'' of
thousands of autopsied brains in people who suffered from WE or KS,
according to Dr. Clive Harper, professor of neuropathology at the
University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Australia,
and lead author of the second study.
Edith V. Sullivan, associate professor of psychiatry, Stanford
University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., and lead author
of the first study, said the findings are significant because they
indicate that nutritional factors are important in maintaining
healthy conditions in the brain. Both studies were published in the
October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
WE is a potentially fatal disorder caused by thiamin deficiency
and is characterized by double vision, mental confusion, muscle
weakness and unsteady gait. WE most often occurs in people who have
consumed large quantities of alcohol because they often do not eat
properly, said Dr. Peter Martin of the Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn.
Sullivan said recent studies show that young women suffering
from anorexia nervosa may also develop WE, due to nutritional
deficiencies inflicted by persistent vomiting or prolonged periods
of not eating. Additionally, senior citizens are at risk of WE, as
increasing numbers of elderly people appear to be apathetic about
the quality of their diet, may not be eating enough or may forget
to eat.
Alcohol is also a common cause of WE because it impedes the
digestive tract's normal absorption of nutrients. Nerve, muscle and
brain tissue are especially sensitive to low levels of vitamins,
nutrients and minerals, and they can deteriorate when deprived.
Martin said that the body's stores of thiamin can be depleted in as
little as three weeks. If untreated, a person with WE can develop
permanent memory damage in the form of KS, and in extreme cases,
fall into a coma and die. However, unlike other disease states
attributed to alcohol abuse, WE appears to be reversible by adding
thiamin to the diet.
KS occurs in patients who repeatedly suffer from WE. However, KS
is distinguished from WE when a person experiences amnesia, and is
identified when the confusion associated with WE clears following
thiamin treatment. Though some people who suffer from KS may
respond to thiamin treatment, the condition is usually considered
incurable.
