[The association of Marchiafava-Bignami disease, cerebral pellagra and cerebellar degeneration in an alcoholic patient].

INTRODUCTION

Marchiafava-Bignami disease, cerebral pellagra and alcoholic cerebellar degeneration are a group of diseases included in the alcoholic encephalopathies, although they may also be caused by metabolic or nutritional disorders. The isolated appearance of these diseases usually permits diagnosis during the life of the patient, based on the neuro-radiological findings. However, their combination leads to complex form, with variable neurological expression, which means that precise diagnosis may often be post mortem.

CLINICAL CASE: We present a malnourished alcoholic patient with neurological features compatible with alcoholic encephalopathy. The post mortem findings showed lesions typical of alcoholic cerebellar degeneration, cerebral pellagra and Marchiafava-Bignami disease.