Peripheral nerve functions improve in chronic alcoholic patients on abstinence.

We studied the peripheral nerve functions of 24 chronic alcoholic patients admitted to the alcohol rehabilitation ward. The study included clinical examination, detailed evaluation of nutritional status, quantitative vibration sense estimation and electrodiagnostic study of the peripheral nerves in the upper and lower limbs. During the subsequent 6 months all of the above measures were repeated at invervals of 1, 3 and 6 months, while the patients abstained from alcohol. Several of the parameters studied showed mild but definite improvement during 6 months.