J Korean Neurol Assoc.  2009 May;27(2):85-97.

Alcohol-Related Neurologic Disorders: Ten Years of Experiences

• Oh SH
• Kim SY
• Park KS
• Park SH

Abstract

Alcohol-related disorders are among the most costly health problems worldwide. Ingested alcohol is mainly metabolized by an oxidative pathway in the liver. Alcohol and its metabolic products (e.g., acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species) have toxic effects on multiple organs, especially the nervous system. The diverse mechanisms of alcohol-related neurologic disorders include the direct toxic effects of alcohol, the alcohol withdrawal effect, nutritional deficiency secondary to alcoholism, and abnormalities of serum electrolytes and osmolality. We analyzed 156 cases of alcoholrelated neurologic disorders among admitted patients that had been referred in Korea during the previous 10 years. The duration of alcohol consumption ranged from 0.5 to 47 years (mean=17.8 years) and the mean amount of alcohol intake per day was 245.5 g. The 156 patients had the following diseases: Wernicke's encephalopathy (n=81, 51.9%), peripheral neuropathy (n=68, 43.6%), delirium tremens (n=59, 37.8%), Rum fit (n=31, 19.9%), pellagra encephalopathy (n=29, 18.6%), Korsakoff's psychosis (n=22, 14.2%), cerebellar atrophy (n=11, 7.0%), and alcoholic myopathy (n=6, 3.8%). We report on these cases and review the literature on alcohol-related neurologic disorders.

Keyword

Alcohol; Wernicke's encephalopathy; Alcoholic neuropathy; Pellagra; Marchiafava-Bignami disease; Alcohol withdrawal syndrome

MeSH Terms

Acetaldehyde
Alcohol Drinking
Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium
Alcoholic Neuropathy
Alcoholics
Alcoholism
Atrophy
Electrolytes
Humans
Korea
Liver
Malnutrition
Marchiafava-Bignami Disease
Muscular Diseases
Nervous System
Nervous System Diseases
Osmolar Concentration
Oxygen
Pellagra
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Psychotic Disorders
Wernicke Encephalopathy
Acetaldehyde
Electrolytes
Oxygen