[Alcoholic disease].

A new concept of alcoholic disease has been developed on the basis of the study of 355 corpses of persons abusing ethanol and 335 white male rats with experimental alcoholic intoxication. A new nosological entity "alcoholic disease" (AD) is suggested instead of "chronic alcoholism". Pathogenesis of AD consists of 3 stages: I--repeated acute alcoholic intoxication, II--drunkenness, III--alcoholism and its complications. The definition of AD is given. A leading role in it belongs to the damage of the liver, heart, lungs and brain. The stage 1 involves degenerative changes in the organs, stage II--spectrum of the damage is larger but the changes are still reversible. The patients are treated in hospitals where the role of ethanol in the heart and liver damage is not taken into consideration. Stage III--irreversible changes. Hence, the diagnosis and treatment of stage II is necessary as it is curable.