What is Alcoholic Polyneuropathy?

Alcohol is a substance that exerts a visible negative impact on the human body. Its consumption can lead to the development of various diseases that gradually undermine both the physical and mental health of the drinking person. The most common health problems resulting from alcohol abuse include fatty liver disease, hepatitis and cirrhosis, pancreatitis, various digestive system diseases, and cardiovascular disorders. This substance also causes damage to the nervous system, contributing to the development of diseases such as alcoholic polyneuropathy. What does this condition involve, what symptoms does it cause, and how should it be treated?

TL;DR

Alcoholic polyneuropathy is a chronic nervous system disease caused by long-term alcohol abuse, affecting up to 30% of dependent individuals. The condition leads to symmetrical damage of peripheral nerves, causing sensory disturbances, pain, muscle weakness, and the characteristic

alcoholic gait".

Symptoms include tingling, cramps, paresis, autonomic function disorders (e.g., blood pressure, heart rhythm), and in advanced cases – ulcers, neuropathic pain, and walking difficulties. The disease progresses if untreated – can lead to permanent damage, significant deterioration of physical function, and life-threatening complications. Treatment includes complete abstinence, alcohol detox, diet, supplementation (especially B vitamins), pharmacotherapy, and physiotherapy. Although complete cure is difficult, early diagnosis and consistent therapy allow halting disease progression and significantly improving quality of life.

Alcoholic Polyneuropathy – What Is It?

Alcoholic polyneuropathy is a disease classified in the group of nervous system disorders. It is a condition associated with inflammation or damage to the central nervous system, accompanied by symptoms resulting from disruption of sensory, motor, and autonomic information. This disease leads to symmetrical damage of many nerves, which is why pathological changes occur on both sides of the body. Polyneuropathy is associated with long-term alcohol abuse – it represents the most common neurological complication of long-term alcoholism and affects nearly 30% of all people struggling with alcohol use disorder.

Impact of Alcohol on the Nervous System

How does alcohol affect the nervous system? Long-term intoxication of the body due to alcohol abuse causes the occurrence of neuropathic ailments. In people consuming excessive amounts of this substance, peripheral nerve damage may occur, caused by the negative effects of acetaldehyde – the main product of ethanol metabolism, which systematically destroys nerve cells. Long-term alcohol abuse also leads to demyelination of peripheral nerves, meaning the loss by nerve fibers of the insulating layer for electrical impulses transmitted between nerve cells. This causes disruption of the speed and proper coordination of nerve transmission. Read also: Alcohol Delirium – How Long Does It Last?

Causes of Alcoholic Polyneuropathy

The main cause of alcoholic polyneuropathy is long-term, excessive alcohol consumption. The development of the disease can also be associated with the presence of genetic diseases and endocrinological disorders, as well as autoimmune processes, toxin exposure, use of certain pharmacological agents, and malnutrition.

Alcoholic Polyneuropathy – Symptoms

Alcoholic polyneuropathy is accompanied by symptoms resulting from disruption of sensory, motor, and autonomic information conduction. These include primarily:

• paresthesias, i.e., sensations of tingling, burning, or pressure without being able to identify a specific stimulus

• impairment of motor functions resulting from weakening of muscle strength, leading to the so-called alcoholic gait

• dryness or excessive sweating of the skin

• progressive skin keratinization

• cyanosis and trophic changes, which also affect the nails

• disorders of other nature, including sphincter function disorders.

When alcoholic polyneuropathy affects autonomic fibers responsible for internal organ function, symptoms of the disease may also include increased sweating of palms and feet, constipation, diarrhea, sudden changes in arterial blood pressure, and heart rhythm disturbances.

What Can Untreated Alcoholic Polyneuropathy Lead To?

Untreated alcoholic polyneuropathy, especially when the sick person continues consuming alcoholic beverages, constantly progresses, destroying successive spheres of human activity. This leads to deepening of paresthesias, muscle tremors, and sensory disturbances, as well as the appearance of additional symptoms such as:

• weakening of deep sensation and deep reflexes, i.e., reduced ability to determine the position of body parts without visual input

• progressive muscle atrophy causing limb paresis, including leg paresis in alcoholics

• muscle pain after alcohol and pain sensations in various body parts

• neuropathic pain, i.e., burning, tearing, or stabbing pain felt at rest

• allodynia, i.e., experiencing pain in response to stimuli that do not cause pain in healthy individuals

• skin thinning

• increased susceptibility to inflammatory conditions caused by skin infections

• ulcers in distal parts of lower limbs

• temperature perception disturbances

• sexual function disorders

• recurrent laryngeal nerve neuropathy causing persistent, long-lasting hoarseness and voice pitch lowering.

People who have neglected treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy experience great difficulties in movement and persistent, severe, and tearing neuropathic pain in later stages of the disease. Without implementing appropriate therapy, this disease can pose a serious life threat. Treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy primarily involves alleviating neurological symptoms.

Is Alcoholic Polyneuropathy Curable?

People affected by alcoholic polyneuropathy must be aware that achieving noticeable remission of this disease is extremely difficult. Patients can halt the process of body deterioration and achieve significant regeneration, but the chances of returning to the original state before the onset of pathological changes are small. Both treatment duration and prognosis depend on the degree of advancement of the changes. Complete recovery is possible only with rapid treatment initiation, maintaining its continuity, and maintaining complete abstinence. In the case of symptoms indicating advanced alcoholic polyneuropathy, complete cure of the disease is not possible.

How Does Treatment of Alcoholic Polyneuropathy Proceed?

The condition for initiating treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy is cessation of alcohol consumption – only sustained abstinence allows achieving results and improvement in the sick person's quality of life. Satisfactory results can be achieved through alcohol detoxification. This process allows strengthening the body, replenishing existing deficiencies, and preparing the sick person's body for further therapeutic procedures. In the course of treating alcoholic polyneuropathy, it is necessary to:

• maintain an appropriately balanced, nutrient-rich diet,

• supplement essential microelements and vitamins necessary for proper body functioning, especially vitamin B1, whose deficiency can be observed during the disease

• use medications for alcoholic polyneuropathy prescribed by a doctor – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or tricyclic antidepressants, serving to alleviate pain symptoms

• participate in physiotherapy, if during the disease the patient experienced weakening of muscle strength, muscle atrophy, or paresis of upper and lower limbs.

In the therapy of alcoholic polyneuropathy, an important role is played by physical activity adapted to the individual needs of the patient, through which atrophying muscles can be rebuilt. Particularly recommended are outdoor training sessions. Although in the case of alcoholic nerve paralysis, reversal of all pathological changes is not possible, people affected by alcoholic polyneuropathy should still make every effort to counteract the progression of the diagnosed condition. Complete cessation of alcohol drinking and following the doctor's recommendations allows slowing disease development and improving overall fitness and, consequently, the patient's quality of life.

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