Ethnoterritorial Heterogeneity of Formation of Alcohol Dependence in Native Population of Siberia

Abstract

Introduction

Results of many investigations prove the significant influence of ethnocultural factors on clinical-dynamic characteristics of basic mental disorders associated with alcohol use.

Objective

To identify clinical and medico-biological parameters of heterogeneity of alcohol dependence in representatives of the native population of Siberia.

Material and Methods

Clinical-dynamic parameters of heterogeneity of alcohol dependence in 155 patients of Tuvinian and Russian nationalities with lucid and psychotic forms of disease were studied.

Results

Formation of withdrawal syndrome in Tuvinians occurs at a reliably later age as compared with Russians (37,7 and 29,6 years, respectively; p=0.00004). However, in Tuvinians these symptoms are formed progressively – in average for 2-2,5 years of systematic alcohol use that is two-fold quicker than in Russians. In Tuvinians, matched in age clinical-dynamic parameters of formation of alcoholism with Russians, manifestation of alcoholic psychosis occurs at the same age (37,4 ± 7,8 years). In this case Tuvinians with psychotic form of alcoholism approximate to Russians with lucid alcoholism, i.e. those Tuvinians have an unfavorable prediction of development of the illness whose dynamic of formation of alcohol dependence is similar to such one in Russians with lucid course of alcoholism.

Conclusion

Tuvinians reliably later than Russians begin use alcohol systematically but type of course of alcoholism in them acquires highly progressive character. Comparability of age clinical indices of formation of alcoholism in Russians and Tuvinians is predictively unfavorable feature for Tuvinians with likely development of psychotic forms of alcoholism.