Neurological complications of alcoholism

Abstract

Nervous system lesions associated with chronic alcohol intoxication are common in clinical practice. They lead to aggravated alcoholic disease, its more frequent recurrences, and intensified pathological craving for alcohol. Neurological pathology in turn occurs with frequent exacerbations. The interaction of diseases, age, and medical pathomorphism modifies the clinical presentation and course of the major pathology, as well as comorbidity, the nature and severity of complications, worsens quality of life in a patient, and makes the diagnostic and treatment process difficult. The paper discusses the classification, clinical variants, biochemical and molecular biological aspects of various complications of alcoholic disease. It considers its most common form, in particular alcoholic polyneuropathy, as well as its rarer variants, such as hemorrhagic encephalopathy with a subacute course (Gayet–Wernicke encephalopathy).

Keywords

• alcoholism
• alcoholic disease
• addiction
• neurological disorders