Assessment of incidence and profile of neurological diseases in alcohol dependents

Abstract

Background: Alcohol is known to produce toxic effects in all the systems of the body. Hence, understanding the effects of alcohol is necessary to plan perfect treatment strategies for management of alcohol dependent patient. Aim: The present study was undertaken to assess the incidence and profile of neurological diseases in alcohol dependents.Materials and Methods: The study recruited 50 alcohol dependence patients attended to the hospital OPD. The selection and assessment of the alcohol depended patients are using standard DSM-IV as mentioned in the literature. Demographic data was collected from the patients using standard methods. Neurological dysfunction was assessed through physical examination. Results: Maximum number of patients belongs to age group of 31-40 years. All the participants were males. Majority are married men who were alcohol dependents. Majority of alcohol dependents are unemployed. Majority of the patients consume country liquor. Dementia and hand tremor are most commonly observed neurological symptoms in the alcohol dependents.Conclusion: The present study adds to the existing knowledge about the neurological symptoms in the alcohol dependents. The most common features observed are hand tremors and dementia. There is a strong need to undertake further detailed studies in this area for better understanding and better planning of treatment strategies.