Alcoholic Polyneuropathy - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Alcoholic Polyneuropathy

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes, symptoms and treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy

Definition of alcoholic polyneuropathy

Alcoholic polyneuropathy is popularly called polyneuropathy and chronic alcohol poisoning leads to it. According to doctors, from 80 to 100% of alcoholics suffer from this disease to varying degrees. 30% of patients start with a complaint of "lying down arm / leg", but, in fact, paresthesia begins, which at the initial stage of the disease manifests itself as tingling and "chills". Treatment and all its results primarily directly depend on whether a particular patient is ready to completely abandon alcohol consumption.

If the underlying disease can be stopped, then with successful treatment and compliance with all requirements, you can come to a clinical recovery and reverse development of symptoms. Otherwise, the disease will progress, not only disrupting movement, but also leading to cardiac and respiratory disorders. After 10 years of illness, the average survival rate in this case is approximately 47%.

Symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy

In this disease, patients most often complain of significant numbness in the legs, tense leg muscles and tingling in the toes. Symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy are transient, usually after sudden movements and severe physical exertion. There is a strong atrophy of the muscles of the lower extremities, and similar damage can be observed in the upper extremities of a sick person, but this manifests itself much less often than the defeat of the lower extremities.

It all starts with the appearance of weakness in the legs, convulsive pinching of the fingers, pain in the calf muscles. Then paresis and paralysis of the lower parts of the legs begins to develop, the gait changes, due to a sensitivity disorder, the patient begins to feel that the floor is "soft". Also, the disease may be accompanied by excessive sweating of the arms and legs, the appearance of a bluish color on the hands and feet, speech disorders (due to damage to the vagus nerve, speech will be incomprehensible, blurred).

A noticeable decrease in sensitivity leads to a feeling of "gloves" or "socks", the skin also becomes dry, begins to peel off, sores appear on it. Alcoholic polyneuropathy is often accompanied by mental disorders, for example, the patient experiences memory disorders, disorientation in time and location, and the patient can also talk about events that have never happened.

Diagnosis of alcoholic polyneuropathy

In order to diagnose "alcoholic polyneuropathy", electroneuromyography (ENMG) is used, as a result of this examination, the level of damage is determined, the existence of an inflammatory and degenerative process in the nerve is determined, the severity of the damage is determined - whether the loss of impulse conduction along the nerve is partial or complete, is affected muscle or nerve, root or peripheral nerve.

ENMG is also used to control the dynamics of the disease and treatment. ENMG gives accurate information about the patient's condition and confirms the diagnosis, however, the diagnosis of polyneuropathy itself is based on certain complaints of the patient, the existing medical history and neurological examination, as a result of which a preliminary diagnosis can be made.

Treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy

Usually alcoholic polyneuropathy develops gradually, but acute development of the disease can also occur, for example, after alcoholic excess, that is, after taking large amounts of alcohol for several days. In the case of a gradual development of the disease, the main factor for effective treatment is timely early diagnosis of the disease, complete rejection of alcoholic beverages and a balanced diet.

Treatment involves not only giving up alcohol and a balanced diet, but also taking vitamins of group B. Also, drugs are prescribed that help improve microcirculation, antihypoxants, antioxidants, drugs to improve neuromuscular conductivity. If the patient has a pronounced pain syndrome, he is prescribed simple analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and, if necessary, he is prescribed antidepressants.

When treating, it is also worth paying attention not only to medical drugs, but also to folk remedies for the treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy, but their use should be agreed with the attending physician. Medical gymnastics is of great importance in the treatment process, which will help strengthen the muscles and prevent the development of contractures. It is worth paying attention to the necessary psychological support for patients, explaining the causes of the disease and how to fight.

If the patient has given up alcohol and, through treatment, managed to reduce or stop the onset of symptoms, and then again began to abuse alcohol, the symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy may not only return, but also become much more pronounced. That is why patients who have undergone treatment for polyneuropathy often have to continue treatment with a narcologist in order to weaken their alcohol dependence and not provoke the reappearance of the disease.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".