Morfological changes of the nervous system in alcoholic and diabetic polyneuro pathies

Abstract

We carried out studies on morphological changes of the central and peripheral nervous system resulted from exo- and endotoxic factors, exemplified by alcohol disease and diabetes. The cervical, thoracic and lumbar parts of the spinal cord, the spinal ganglia, sciatic nerve and shin muscles from 27 male individuals (15 with alcoholic polyneuroupathy and 12 with diabetic polyneuropathy) and 4 young man died from life-incompatible traumas were examined postmortem by histochemistry, light and electronic microscopy. Severe neuronal damage in the lumbar spinal region in diabetic polyneuroupathy and selective damage of the anterior horns in alcoholic polyneuroupathy were revealed. The incidence of neural atrophy was relatively equal in both forms, and muscle atrophy prevailed in patients with alcoholism.