[A medical investigation of 160 chronic alcoholic patients hospitalized in a department of internal medicine. Nature and pathological consequences of the intoxication (author's transl)].

160 hospitalized chronic alcoholics (124 men and 36 women) were evaluated by the same person. 21 biologic parameters were assessed. A histopathological examination of the liver was performed in 57.5% of the cases. The average daily alcohol consumption (ADAC) during the last five years exceeded 80 g in 140 patients. Results were as follows. Alcoholics usually have a poor socio-economic and professional background and a low educational level, most of them being farmers or workers. The ADAC is 170 g/day for an average duration of 32 +/- 3 years. The diet is unbalanced. The consumption of tobacco is related to age, sex and ADAC. There is no significant correlation between hepatic lesions (cirrhosis: 37 cases, alcoholic hepatitis without cirrhosis: 83 cases, normal liver: 36 cases) and age, sex, diet, ADAC, or the duration of intoxication. Pancreatic involvement was found in 13 patients (6.8%). Neuropsychiatric features were present in 92% of the patients. A significant correlation was found between stellar angiomas, clinical liver involvement, and ADAC, between palmar erythrosis, and clinical liver involvement and between hippocratism and ADAC. VMC and Gamma GT levels are significantly correlated to liver involvement and ADAC. There is a linear correlation between VMC and Gamma GT. The Gamma GT/BUN ratio is significantly correlated to ADAC. No correlation was found between serum vitamin B12, serum folic acid and VMC. No patient was HbS antigen-positive. Anti-HbS antibodies were found in 19.2% of the cases.