Invited Review: Alcohol-Related Peripheral Neuropathy: Nutritional, Toxic, or Both?-26Alcohol Related Peripheral Neuropathy

26Alcohol Related Peripheral Neuropathy

Pdf Summary

Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy (ALN) is a potentially debilitating condition that affects people with alcoholism. It causes sensory, motor, and autonomic dysfunction, resulting in significant disability. Currently, ALN is not well understood and is often assumed to be primarily caused by nutritional deficiency. However, recent studies suggest that alcohol itself may play a significant role in the development of ALN. These studies have shown that thiamine treatment fails to reverse ALN, and there are clinical and electrophysiological distinctions between ALN and nutritional deficiency neuropathies. Animal studies have also shown that chronic alcohol consumption can induce neuropathy in animals, even when thiamine levels are normal. Additionally, biochemical studies have shown that alcohol impairs thiamine absorption and utilization in the body. Treatment of ALN typically involves a high-vitamin, high-calorie diet supplemented with thiamine, but recent clinical trials have shown limited effectiveness of this treatment. The evidence suggests that ALN should be regarded as a toxic neuropathy rather than a nutritional one, as previously thought. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of ALN and to develop more effective treatments.

Keywords

Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy

ALN

alcoholism

sensory dysfunction

motor dysfunction

autonomic dysfunction

nutritional deficiency

thiamine treatment

toxic neuropathy

clinical trials