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Dependence, Dementia, Cerebellar Dysfunction, and Myopathy in Association With Chronic Isopropanol Ingestion
Cindy Hanawalt-Squires, PhD, MD, and Theodore J. Anfinson, MD. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 2002-01-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Little is known about the chronic sequelae of isopropanol ingestion. Acute effects of isopropanol ingestion include central nervous system depression, gastrointestinal irritation, impaired gluconeogenesis, delirium, hypotension, and coma. We present a case of a patient who preferentially consumed isopropyl alcohol for at least 17 years and developed sequelae of alcoholic neuromyopathy, recurrent rhabdomyolysis, cerebellar dysfunction, and dementia. Issues related to the patient's preferential consumption of isopropanol are discussed, along with descriptions of the neurobehavioral, neurophysiologic, and neuropathologic studies related to her chronic isopropanol ingestion. The epidemiology of nonbeverage alcohol is briefly reviewed, and clinicians are encouraged to inquire about nonbeverage-alcohol consumption in patients presenting with alcohol-related problems.
Key findings
- Little is known about the chronic sequelae of isopropanol ingestion.
- Acute effects of isopropanol ingestion include central nervous system depression, gastrointestinal irritation, impaired gluconeogenesis, delirium, hypotension, and coma.
- We present a case of a patient who preferentially consumed isopropyl alcohol for at least 17 years and developed sequelae of alcoholic neuromyopathy, recurrent rhabdomyolysis, cerebellar dysfunction, and dementia.
- Issues related to the patient's preferential consumption of isopropanol are discussed, along with descriptions of the neurobehavioral, neurophysiologic, and neuropathologic studies related to her chronic isopropanol ingestion.
- The epidemiology of nonbeverage alcohol is briefly reviewed, and clinicians are encouraged to inquire about nonbeverage-alcohol consumption in patients presenting with alcohol-related problems.
Why it matters
This single case report describes a patient who consumed isopropyl alcohol for at least 17 years and developed cerebellar dysfunction and dementia among other problems. It is a case report about chronic isopropanol ingestion, not about treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 24/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record and institution's track record, so those were left out: it earned 22 of the 93 points we could judge it on, which is 24 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Psychopharmacology Bulletin) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Psychopharmacology Bulletin: journal h-index 54 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.1 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12473964) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 22 / 93 | Scored on 18 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 22 of the 93 points we could judge it on is 24 out of 100. |
| Total | 24 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hanawalt-Squires, C., & Anfinson, T. J. (2002). Dependence, Dementia, Cerebellar Dysfunction, and Myopathy in Association With Chronic Isopropanol Ingestion. Psychopharmacology Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.64719/pb.4213
Vancouver
Hanawalt-Squires C, Anfinson TJ. Dependence, Dementia, Cerebellar Dysfunction, and Myopathy in Association With Chronic Isopropanol Ingestion. Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2002. doi:10.64719/pb.4213. PMID: 12473964.
BibTeX
@article{hanawaltsquires2002-12473964,
author = {Hanawalt-Squires, Cindy and Anfinson, Theodore J.},
title = {{Dependence, Dementia, Cerebellar Dysfunction, and Myopathy in Association With Chronic Isopropanol Ingestion}},
journal = {Psychopharmacology Bulletin},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.64719/pb.4213},
pmid = {12473964},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64719/pb.4213}
}