Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (13)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fernández-Solà, J.
Right arrow Articles by Urbano-Márquez, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fernández-Solà, J.
Right arrow Articles by Urbano-Márquez, A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Q J Med 2000; 93: 35-40
© 2000 Association of Physicians

Low-dose ethanol consumption allows strength recovery in chronic alcoholic myopathy

J. Fernández-Solà, J.M. Nicolás, E. Sacanella, J. Robert, M. Cofan, R. Estruch and A. Urbano-Márquez

From the Department of Internal Medicine, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Spain

Received 16 July 1999 and in revised form 21 September 1999

Dr J. Fernández-Solà, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. e-mail: nicolas{at}medicina.ub.es

Chronic skeletal myopathy may affect one third of chronic alcohol misusers. It is generally accepted that abstinence allows partial recovery, and that continued high-dose ethanol consumption progressively deteriorates muscle function. However, the effect of low-dose ethanol consumption in alcoholic myopathy has not been studied. We studied 58 chronic alcoholic male patients with biopsy-proven chronic alcoholic myopathy over 5 years. We evaluated ethanol intake, biochemical and nutritional parameters, and assessed muscle strength. Eighteen patients who remained abstinent showed marked improvement in muscle strength. As expected, the 19 patients who persisted in high-dose ethanol consumption further diminished in their muscle strength. In the 11 patients who maintained low-dose (<=60 g ethanol/day) `controlled' drinking, muscle strength improved (p=0.003), despite no change in nutritional and exercise status. There is a dose-dependent recovery in muscle strength according to the degree of ethanol consumption, and moderate controlled drinking of up to 60 g ethanol/day still allows improvement in muscle strength.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
O. Niemela, S. Parkkila, M. Koll, and V. R Preedy
Generation of protein adducts with malondialdehyde and acetaldehyde in muscles with predominantly type I or type II fibers in rats exposed to ethanol and the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor cyanamide
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 2002; 76(3): 668 - 674.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN INTERN MEDHome page
J. M. Nicolas, J. Fernandez-Sola, R. Estruch, J. C. Pare, E. Sacanella, A. Urbano-Marquez, and E. Rubin
The Effect of Controlled Drinking in Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Ann Intern Med, February 5, 2002; 136(3): 192 - 200.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.