Neuropatía por disulfiram: comunicación de tres casos clínicos / Disulfiram neuropathy: report of 3 cases
Rev. méd. Chile
; 130(9): 1037-1042, sept. 2002. tab
Article
in Spanish
| LILACS
| ID: lil-323239
Responsible library:
CL1.1
RESUMO
Disulfiram is widely used for aversive treatment of alcoholism. Although it is well tolerated in most patients, one in 15,000 patients will develop peripheral neuropathy every year, which is frequently misdiagnosed as alcoholic neuropathy. Disulfiram neuropathy can be mild or severe, depending on diverse factors such as time of exposure and the dosage. Most patients will present with a motor-sensory neuropathy of the lower limbs, which tends to improve as disulfiram administration ceases, however some cases may remain with permanent sequelae. We report the clinical, laboratory and electrophysiological features of three patients who developed disulfiram neuropathy during treatment of alcoholism. Recovery was incomplete at 8 weeks after treatment cessation in all of them. No other findings justified the clinical features described in these patients. Considering the incidence of alcoholism and the wide use of disulfiram treatment in Chile, we suggest that disulfiram neuropathy is being underdiagnosed. We also stress the fact that disulfiram neuropathy could be avoided by using lower doses
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Health context:
SDG3 - Health and Well-Being
/
SDG3 -Target 3.5 Prevention and treatment of consumption of psychoactive substances
Health problem:
Target 3.5: Prevention and treatment of consumption of psychoactive substances
/
Alcohol
Database:
LILACS
Main subject:
Disulfiram
/
Nervous System Diseases
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
Spanish
Journal:
Rev. méd. Chile
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2002
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Chile
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidad de Chile/CL