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Disulfiram neuro-toxicity: a review and report of a case of fluctuating neuro-encephalopathy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Marcus Webb
Marcus Webb*
Affiliation:
Trinity College, University of Dublin, and St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8
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Abstract

A case of chronic disulfiram (Antabuse) toxicity is described, in the context of a literature review, apparently the first such description from Ireland. The rare combination of encephalopathy with peripheral neuropathy occurred in this case, along with other probably related features. These included a fluctuating clinical course, cerebellar ataxia, grand mal seizures, impotence and a delay in improvement on discontinuing disulfiram. It is likely that symptoms of anxiety and depression in this man were also in part induced by disulfiram toxicity, but interpretation of events is complicated by developing arteriosclerosis. The difficulties in distinguishing toxic effects of disulfiram from complications of chronic alcoholism are emphasized, with resulting delay in recognizing disulfiram toxicity.

Keywords

Disulfirambrain diseasesperipheral nerve diseasescerebellar diseasesimpotencechronic alcoholismfluctuating clinical course.
Type
Clinical and Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 51 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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