Pellagra among chronic alcoholics: clinical and pathological study of 20 necropsy cases

Abstract

Twenty cases of pellagra, diagnosed on neuropathological grounds, were found amont 74 necropsy cases of chronic alcoholism. Although these patients had presented with various mental, neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms, the diagnosis of pellagra had not been established clinically because, in the majority, there were no skin lesions. It is emphasised that whenever chronic alcoholics exhibit certain mental, neurological or gastrointestinal symptoms, one should strongly suspect pellagra even in the absence of skin lesions (pellagra sine pelle agra).