Autonomic and peripheral neuropathy in chronic alcoholic liver disease

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 219 - 222
• Main Authors: Gonzalez-Reimers, E., Alonso-Socas, M., Santolaria-Fernandez, F., Hernandez-Peña, J., Conde-Martel, A., Rodriguez-Moreno, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 1991; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; alcoholic neuropathy; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Hepatic Encephalopathy - complications; Hepatic Encephalopathy - diagnosis; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic - complications; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic - diagnosis; Liver Function Tests; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurologic Examination; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Toxicology; alcoholic neuropathy; Human; Peripheral nervous system; Cirrhosis; Nervous system diseases; Chronic; Autonomic nervous system; Alcoholism; Liver; Hepatic disease; Neuropathy
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/0376-8716(91)90004-I

Peripheral and autonomic neuropathy has been evaluated, both by clinical and neurophysiological and by clinical methods, respectively, in 33 alcoholics, 20 of them cirrhotics. Nerve dysfunction was compared with liver function parameters, the Child-Pugh score, and parameters derived from ethanol consumption. Few relationships were obtained between the autonomic and peripheral nerve dysfunction, and between these and liver function impairment, although Pugh's score was higher when hyporeflexia and altered heart rate response to orthostatism were present. Thus, in the alcoholic, autonomic and peripheral neuropathy, seem not to be dependent on each other, whereas there appears to be a weak correlation between liver function and both autonomic and peripheral neuropathy.