Cognitive status and addiction denial in the early stages of alcohol addiction

Introduction

Denial is a common feature of alcohol addiction that is apparent in the early and late stages of the disease. Defensive psychological mechanisms and cognitive failure have been reported as reasons for addiction denial. Effective therapeutic approaches should consider the reasons for anosognosic denial.

Aims and objectives

The study investigates the correlations between the degree of denial of alcohol addiction and cognitive status of people in the early stages of alcohol dependence.

Method

Subjects were identified using clinical interview the AUDIT questionnaire investigating compulsive drinking, impaired control of drinking, alcohol tolerance, and symptoms of withdrawal.

Results

Forty-nine alcoholic patients at early stage of alcohol dependence were identified. At assessment, all had been abstinent for at least 7 days. They reported compulsive drinking, impaired control over it, increased alcohol tolerance, but no withdrawal symptoms followed by relief drinking. The level of denial was defined by summing up the quantitative ratings of awareness of alcohol addiction and its harmful effects. Three groups emerged of non/mild, moderate, and severe levels of addiction denial. Neuropsychological evaluation of verbal memory, logical memory, visual-motor coordination, and motor and mental speed was conducted.

Conclusion

The identified cognitive deficiencies in the 3 groups were mild. Correlation between the poorer test performance and higher levels of denial was not significant. In the early stages of alcohol addiction, the anosognosic denial appears to be an unconscious ego defense mechanism leading to rejection of all the addiction-related problems.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Synovial sarcoma of the extremities and trunk: a long-lasting disease

Synovial sarcoma (SS) of an extremity or trunk is relatively rare and is approached by limb sparing surgery (LSS), radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical and histopathological data of 73 patients with proven SS. At a median follow-up time of 6 years, local recurrence was seen in 17.8 and systemic recurrence 35.6% of patients (local-only, 6.8; systemic-only, 24.6; combined, 11%). The 10-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), systemic recurrence-free survival (SRFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 78, 68 and 61%, respectively. LRFS was significantly better in patients treated with isolated limb perfusion (ILP); SRFS was influenced by the delay until diagnosis. The practical aspects of our observations are the need for long-term follow-up in order to diagnose recurrences, the fact that not all local or distant recurrences are necessarily associated with a shortening of OS time and the important role of induction ILP with TNF in cases of extremity SS.