Chronic Alcoholism and Equilibrium Disorders

In an attempt to determine if chronic ingestion of alcohol produces a permanent disorder of equilibrum in humans, related functions were determined in patients diagnosed as chronic alcoholics. The Japanese subjects (29 males) were all hospitalized. It was confirmed that each patient had been drinking alcohol continuously for over 20 years before admission and had not ingested alcohol for over three months during admission. Almost all subjects showed abnormal responses in equilibrium function tests such as Romberg's, Mann's, one leg or stepping tests. Spontaneous nystagmus was observed 25 out of 29 patients with or without hearing impairment. In the optokinetic nystagmus and optokinetic pattern tests, nystagmus could not be normally elicited in 23 cases. Only two patients responded normally to the caloric test; the others showed either canal paresis or directional preponderance. In eye tracking test, ataxic or Aaccadic pursuit was observed in 22 (76%) out of 29 cases.These results indicate that permanent, central and/or peripheral equilibrium disorders occur in alcoholics.