Patients who suffer Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) have a 30-80% incidence of thiamine deficiency causing Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE). Intravenous (IV) thiamine replacement is standard practice in the treatment of alcoholic patients presenting to the Accident \& Emergency (A\&E) department, however routine co-supplementation with magnesium (administered IV as magnesium sulphate ), which is required as a co-factor for thiamine in some metabolic processes, e. g. on the activity of the enzyme transketolase in red blood cells, is not routine practice in the treatment of these patients. Without correction of concomitant magnesium deficiency there may be impaired utilisation of thiamine resulting in a failure to treat WE. This study is designed to determine if administration of magnesium to AUD patients affects red cell transketolasae and serum lactate concentrations by itself, or only acts to increase the effect of thiamine on the activity of this enzyme.
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Change in Erythrocyte transketolase activity
Timeframe: 0 and 2 hours
Change in serum lactate
Timeframe: 0 and 2 hours
Change in rate of resolution of alcohol withdrawal syndrome
Timeframe: days