Ethyl alcohol sniffing by patients undergoing hemodialysis

N. G. De Santo, N. Perna, E. Di Paolo and C. Giordano

Seven uremic patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis became addicted to vapors of denaturated ethyl alcohol. Sniffing produced relaxation, euphoria, and a sense of well-being. In all but one patient, this was the the only form of deviance. Two patients who tried stopping this practice while under psychiatric help were unsuccessful because of acute abstinence symptoms. Denaturated ethyl alcohol does not seem to be toxic per se. In these patients, results of hematological and liver function tests were within normal limits. Anemia supervened in one patient after two years of dialysis, and peripheral neuropathy developed in another.