RESUMO
According to I. V. Strel'chuk's classification, 120 patients with alcoholic myocardiodystrophy induced by stage I-III chronic alcoholism were examined. The control group included 25 normal men. The rheological blood parameters (fluidity limit, apparent viscosity, red blood cell aggregation ratio, and hematocrit) were examined over time: before treatment, after its discontinuance, and one month after discharge from hospital. It was shown that blood viscosity increased with the disease gravity, whereas the results of the treatment correlated well with the initial patient's status. In stages I and II chronic alcoholism, the study parameters could return to normal, while in stage III, blood viscosity remained significantly higher than normal both towards the end of the treatment at hospital and on control examination one month after discharge. The control over blood rheology performed over time may be recommended as an additional method for assessing the disease gravity and efficacy of the treatment of alcohol-induced abnormalities.
