Clinical analysis of alcoholic pellagra: A single-center retrospective study

Pellagra caused by niacin deficiency in alcoholics can be easily misdiagnosed because of similar symptoms to other alcohol-related diseases and the lack of the classical triad of signs.

This study aimed to define the clinical presentation of alcoholic pellagra for early diagnosis and timely treatment.

The clinical data of 16 alcohol-dependent patients who had pellagra and treated in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The local medical ethics committee approval (Medical Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of XuZhou Medical University, XYFY2020-KL247-02) for this study has been obtained.

The main complaints of the 16 patients were skin lesions (six cases), diarrhea (six cases), and mental disorders (four cases). Then, 13 cases had typical skin lesions, and 3 patients had a full spectrum of diarrhea, dementia, and dermatitis (3D). In terms of the main diagnosis, 2 patients had pellagra and Wernicke's encephalopathy, 3 patients had pellagra and alcohol-withdrawal syndrome, and the other patients had pellagra. After sufficient amounts of niacin and multivitamin B were given, clinical symptoms improved rapidly, and no sequelae were observed during follow-up.

Pellagra is rarely manifested as a full 3D spectrum, with only one or two characteristics, which lack diagnostic specificity, especially in individuals with alcoholism. Physicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion of niacin deficiency in alcoholics. Alcohol-dependent patients with pellagra may be accompanied by complications of Wernicke's encephalopathy and alcohol-withdrawal syndrome. Prompt identification and timely treatment with a sufficient amount of niacin in combination with other vitamins and a certain amount of Zn can achieve a good prognosis of pellagra.