CHRONIC-ALCOHOLIC MYOPATHY - DIAGNOSTIC CLUES AND RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ETHANOL-RELATED DISEASES

We report the clinical, laboratory, functional and histological featur es of 100 male alcoholic patients of whom 44 had chronic alcoholic myo pathy (CAM). We evaluated the use of non-invasive tests in detecting C AM, and examined its relationship with other ethanol-related diseases such as cirrhosis and cardiomyopathy. Of the CAM patients, 24 (55%) pr esented clinical symptoms of myopathy, whereas proximal muscle atrophy was observed in 15 patients (35%). Thirty-seven (80%) had significant ly decreased muscle strength by myometric measurement and 27 (60%) had abnormally increased serum muscle enzymes. In most of these patients, the myopathy was classified as mild. The most frequent histological f indings were myocytolysis, fibre size variability and type II fibre at rophy. As there was a good correlation between clinical symptoms, decr eased muscle strength on myometry and histological evidence of CAM, mu scle biopsy may be avoidable in some of these patients. Cardiomyopathy and liver cirrhosis were more frequent in patients with CAM, and shou ld be checked for in chronic alcoholics with skeletal myopathy.