Home>Articles>What is alcoholic polyneuropathy
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- What kind of disease is this?
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Types of polyneuropathy
- Diagnosis
- Treatment of the disease
- Non-drug methods
Constant consumption of strong drinks is the cause of a disease called alcoholic polyneuropathy. Timely detection of such a disease is the opportunity to cure it. If the disease develops into a chronic stage, then the alcoholic may develop serious problems with the respiratory system, heart function, metabolic processes, and limited mobility. Therefore, close people need to monitor the condition of a person addicted to strong drinks. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to save him.
general information
The disease, which is part of a group of neurological disorders, is called alcoholic polyneuropathy. It usually occurs at critical stages of addiction to strong drinks. The period of drinking alcohol is from 5 years or more. Signs of the disease were described in 1787 by the scientist Letts. Addiction to alcohol-containing products has an adverse effect on the entire body.
The disease affects the peripheral nervous system. A person experiences metabolic disorders , decreased sensitivity in the legs and arms. In accordance with international rules, when a disease is recorded in different countries, it is given a special label. For alcoholic polyneuropathy according to ICD 10, this is code G 62.1.
Symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy
The harmful effects of alcohol-containing products extend to many nerve fibers. First, a person experiences a feeling of pain in the limbs and numbness. Few people pay attention to such signs . If you do not address such symptoms in a timely manner, it will be extremely difficult . Therefore, it is necessary to record signals, the main ones of which are:
- the occurrence of pain in the legs;
- formation of ulcers, dry skin;
- itching and burning in the feet;
- increased sweating;
- disorientation;
- speech problems.
With alcoholic polyneuropathy of the lower extremities, patients complain that their temperature sensitivity is impaired. In addition, they cannot sleep normally at night, since at this time the unpleasant sensations in the form of tingling, itching, and burning intensify significantly. As the disease progresses, such signs practically disappear, but this is not an indicator of improvement. Nerve fibers are destroyed in the body, and trophic disorders occur.
Why is alcoholic polyneuritis so dangerous?
There are many types of polyneuritis, but the alcoholic type of the disease is considered the most dangerous. This is due to the fact that the disease affects the upper and lower limbs, makes a person disabled, and deprives him of the ability to control his own body.
If the work of both arms and legs is disrupted, the vagus nerve is damaged. Then the person feels that his limbs often and for a long time lose sensitivity. From time to time he experiences shortness of breath and his heart rate increases. Finger motor skills are rapidly deteriorating.
In the absence of proper treatment, the drinker will soon no longer be able to independently get up from a lying/sitting position, talk, chew and swallow food, or control the process of urination. The damage also affects his brain - creating the preconditions for the occurrence of Korsakoff's syndrome.
The latter is characterized by:
- memory loss, inability to remember and reproduce information;
- difficulties with orientation in space;
- disorientation in time;
- hallucinations, inventing non-existent events;
- panic attacks;
- causeless fear;
- frequent mood swings.
Alcoholics who have alcoholic polyneuritis combined with Korsakoff's syndrome often do not realize that they are seriously ill. They deny that they have mental problems
. Treating such people is always difficult. It is also difficult to live with them in the same apartment.
Sources of polyneuropathy
Disruption of the normal functioning of the nervous system can occur not only due to alcoholic polyneuropathy. Other diseases where the symptoms are very similar are epilepsy, drug overdose, diabetes, and oncology. Even poisoning with chemical compounds can cause problems with the nervous system. If this is, after all, acute alcoholic polyneuropathy, then the following circumstances contribute to its development and transition to the chronic stage :
- consumption of alcohol-containing products that affects the nervous system;
- problems with circulation in nerve fibers;
- metabolic disorder;
- critical vitamin B deficiency.
The risk of disease increases many times over if an alcoholic drinks surrogate drinks containing harmful impurities and liquids. A serious disease - alcoholic polyneuropathy can occur if a person has an abnormality of genes, the main function of which is to encode enzymes involved in the conversion of alcohol-containing products into acetaldehyde.
General information
Alcoholic polyneuropathy is a neurological disease characterized by peripheral nerve dysfunction resulting from the toxic effects of alcohol and its metabolites.
In addition to its destructive effects, alcohol also affects metabolic processes in nerve fibers. Alcoholic polyneuropathy is coded in ICD-10 as G62.1 and is considered a separate nosological disease. The pathology occurs in 9-76% of cases in persons suffering from alcohol dependence for 5 years. The share of alcoholic damage compared to other polyneuropathies is 36%.
Using electroneuromyography, it is possible to register subclinical forms of the disease in 97-100% of people suffering from chronic alcoholism . That is why some authors have proposed considering alcoholic polyneuropathy as one of the symptoms of alcoholism. Pathology develops regardless of gender, age, race and nationality. However, women have a much higher tendency to become dependent on alcohol than men, as does the incidence of subsequent complications. Physiological gender differences are explained by the high rate of absorption of alcohol.
Types of disease
The clinical symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy are nonspecific. Therefore, in order to determine at what stage the disease is, doctors assess the patient’s drug status, conduct electroneuromyography, and a number of additional studies. Depending on the results obtained, experts distinguish several types of disease:
- sensory. It is characterized by decreased sensitivity in the legs and arms , the appearance of seizures, changes in skin color, and numbness may be observed;
- motor. In this case, disorders are observed when changing the position of the foot, bending the fingers;
- arctic If a person experiences numbness , pain when palpating the lower extremities, or significant changes in gait , then doctors conclude that the form of alcoholic neuropathy is arctic;
The name of the next form speaks for itself. Specialists observe motor and sensory problems in a patient with a mixed type of disease. This is characterized by the appearance of pain during movement and rest, numbness, hypotension, and paralysis. In any form, effective treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy is required.
Classification
According to the course of the disease, it is customary to distinguish several forms of alcoholic neuropathy:
- acute;
- subacute;
- chronic.
The most common option is the chronic form, which is characterized by a gradual, over several years, progression of pathological processes and a stepwise clinical course of the main symptoms.
Acute and subacute forms are much less common, arising, as a rule, due to a lack of Thiamine (vitamin B1). These forms are characterized by more rapid development of the symptom complex (over several days or months). In persons with chronic alcoholism, an asymptomatic course of the disease may also occur.
The most common forms of alcoholic polyneuropathy:
- sensory;
- motor;
- mixed.
Diagnosis of the disease
The earlier the disease is detected, the faster specialists will be able to determine the form of the disease and prescribe medications to alleviate the patient’s condition. Treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy of the upper extremities or legs is not prescribed without conducting a study of bioelectric potentials. This procedure is called ENMG (electroneuromyography). Its disadvantage is the use of the technique only in the early stages of the disease.
When the disease has already progressed, electroneuromyography alone is not enough. Here, doctors must use nerve fiber biopsy, that is, cell sampling for a comprehensive diagnosis. Plus, specialists conduct an external examination and collect anamnesis. A combination of modern research methods makes it possible to accurately determine the form of the disease and the severity of damage.
Getting rid of alcoholic polyneuropathy
The disease - alcoholic polyneuropathy, which is a neurological disease, occurs gradually . Usually this disease occurs due to constant drinking and long-term drinking. To begin treatment, the patient must completely get rid of the addiction. Only in this way will the use of medicines and traditional medicine give the desired effect. In addition, you need to organize proper nutrition and your own rest regime. If the conditions are met, then specialists begin treatment. Based on research, doctors prescribe medications to the patient that relieve pain, and also resort to anti-inflammatory drugs. Another irreplaceable remedy is B vitamins .
Reasons for development
You don't need to be a scientist to understand that the cause of alcoholic polyneuritis lies in excessive consumption of alcohol-containing drinks. In alcohol addicts, metabolic processes are disrupted, there is a deficiency of B vitamins, and the central nervous system does not function properly. All these are factors that create conditions for the onset and progression of the disease.
Alcohol breakdown products are poisonous.
These are toxic poisons. They reduce the conductivity of nerve fibers. The situation is aggravated if a person is accustomed to drinking low-quality alcohol or its substitutes. Then full functioning of the liver becomes impossible. The organ does not have time to neutralize toxic components absorbed into the blood of the drinker.
It’s good that polyneuritis of the extremities does not occur unexpectedly. This is not a disease that develops overnight. It is preceded by a fairly long period of persisting painful symptoms. Therefore, if the addict is attentive to his physical condition, he will be able to understand that something strange is happening to his muscles. Then he will have time to see a doctor before it is no longer possible to reverse the disease.
Healing legs when alcoholic polyneuropathy is detected
Now we will talk about how to cure alcoholic polyneuropathy of the lower extremities using medications. To achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to diagnose the disease in a timely manner . It is better if loved ones of a person who is experiencing symptoms of the disease force him to seek qualified help at an early stage. In this case, it is possible to achieve complete restoration of the affected nerve fibers and improve the circulatory system.
Doctors, taking into account the individual characteristics of the sick person’s body, will prescribe comprehensive treatment . For example, for people suffering from allergic reactions, the course will be different. If a diagnosis is made and it is determined that the patient suffers from alcoholic polyneuropathy, then treatment will be as follows:
- prescription of vasoactive drugs ;
- use of painkillers (non-steroidal);
- an order to take a course of antidepressants ;
- It is mandatory to take B vitamins ;
- prescribing creams and ointments to relieve pain in the legs;
note
Treatment will only help if the patient completely stops drinking alcohol-containing products. It will bring the expected effect if he eats properly, balanced and nutritiously. It is worth noting that when the symptoms of the disease appear within a year, then this is an acute form of the disease. With a longer course it develops into chronic.
Alcoholic polyneuropathy – when does the disease occur?
A disease called “alcoholic polyneuropathy” manifests itself in the human body due to the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol, which affects the peripheral nervous system. A fairly common disease that occurs due to the abuse of large amounts of alcohol.
The overwhelming number of people who drink alcohol believe that the disease manifests itself only after a long period of drinking alcoholic beverages. This is a common misconception. The disease also occurs with a single drink containing alcohol - it all depends on the individual characteristics of the body.
If you reduce the doses of alcohol consumed, you should not expect a complete recovery from the existing illness, but progression of the disease will not be observed, and the patient’s condition will stabilize.
Use of non-drug methods for treatment
Without special medications, it will not be possible to defeat alcoholic polyneuropathy. The help of doctors who can determine the condition of a sick person and help him is a necessary condition for recovery. In addition to medication, they also use other methods. Physiotherapeutic procedures, for example, electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and nerve endings, have proven their effect. Doctors also advise contacting massage therapists. Such specialists will help tidy up muscle activity.
Treatment of acute and chronic alcoholic polyneuropathy is a complex of different measures that help the patient feel much better. By completely abstaining from alcohol and strictly following the doctor’s recommendations, you can be completely cured . Moreover, the use of methods offered by traditional medicine has also not been canceled. For example, a drink made from sunflower seeds, parsley and kefir is very healthy.
Under no circumstances should such a disease be allowed to take its course. After all, this disease can lead to a wheelchair, and in some cases cause the death of a person. Only a timely visit to the doctor, the use of prescribed treatment, and a therapeutic course will help here. In this case, you will definitely be able to defeat this terrible disease!
